Prisoners on the Slave Ship of Love
by black-roulette
Summary: Lovino Vargas has been captured and taken hostage in a pirate raid led by Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and his band of Spanish buccaneers. Tensions grow high and hearts are tested when Lovino becomes Captain Carriedo's personal prisoner...
1. Prologue

**Title: **Prisoners on the Slave Ship of Love

**Summary: **Lovino Vargas, young ruler of Southern Italy, is captured and taken hostage in a pirate raid led by Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and his band of Spanish buccaneers. Tensions grow high and hearts are tested when Lovino becomes Captain Carriedo's _personal_ prisoner. What madness will result when Lovino starts to _feel_ for his captor?

**Pairing: **Antonio Fernandez Carriedo/Lovino Vargas (Spamano~)

**Note: **There is no historical content telling of a pirate raid in Southern Italy and a lord of said country being taken hostage, meaning the content of this story is completely 100% _fictional_! No historical references made (except for pirate facts and stuff), because I'm too lazy to open my awesome history books and look up stuff at the moment. Maybe later, but not right now.

(~!~)

**Prólogo**

_26 de junio 1677_

_It took plenty of thought, but I have decided that it was time to take my beloved son with me on a voyage to Nápoles. Antonio has been more than ecstatic during the entire trip—I know that he has always desired to come with me whenever I left, so I resolved to bring him along to celebrate his ninth birthday. I can only imagine how lonely it has been for him when I am away. After the death of my beloved María, I had to leave Antonio in the capable hands of the servants whenever I had to depart, but now the time has come to show him the wonders of Italia. _

_Since our arrival, the boy has been running around and acting as his usual cheery, youthful self. The people of Nápoles accept him with open arms, as he does with them. He tells me that he loves Italia and that he wishes to return more often. This news fills my heart with joy; I wonder if he will follow in my footsteps and become a merchant to Nápoles such as myself? Only God knows the answer, and the only thing I can do is pray._

_~Hernando Montez Carriedo_

Enthralling emerald eyes scanned the page hastily. A small smile of amusement played across the lips of the eyes' owner, and a soft chuckle escaped his throat. How many years has it been since his father had scrawled those words onto that now-dingy piece of paper? Sixteen or so?

"Perdón, papá, but I'm afraid I will not be returning to Nápoles as a merchant, as you once dreamt. I'm fixing to set sail, but not in a manner of which would please you if you were still here, God rest your soul."

A sudden knock on his door snapped the young man out of his nostalgic moment.

"Capitán! The men are ready to set sail! We await your orders, sir!"

"Tell them to prepare the ship!" the green-eyed man barked. "We sail en diez minutos!"

"¡Sí, Capitán!"

The young captain quickly tied his messy brown locks into a ponytail with a red ribbon and adorned his head with his elaborate tri-cornered hat. Dusting off his scarlet waistcoat, he slipped it over his shoulders and grinned at his reflection in the mirror.

"Onward, to Nápoles!"

**~Continuará~**


	2. Chapter One

**Capítulo Uno**

_Naples, Italy, 1693_

Lovino Vargas was never one for pointless "screwing around" when it came to running his beloved Napoli. Although he was notorious for being lazy, he was always the first to respond when something went wrong in the city. For some reason, today was an unusually problematic day, meaning he had to work _extra_ diligently in order to calm whatever dilemma that was brought to his attention. Needless to say, he did quite a superb job handling every situation, thus making him arrogantly (and annoyingly) proud of himself. In fact he was so proud that he decided to spend most of the night doing what he did (and loved) best: lying in the middle of his large tomato field, munching on the fruit and sipping expensive Italian wine while gazing at the stars above. To him this was, to say the least, the best damn reward for his ("amazing") services _ever_.

"Aaah~" he breathed after swallowing a large gulp of wine. "It's _gorgeous_ tonight!"

Indeed, it _was_ a beautiful night. The moon glowed fully in the cloudless night sky, illuminating everything around with its soft, comforting light. The stars twinkled gaily beside the moon, and a gentle breeze swept across the land—a breeze which caressed and soothed Lovino's skin in the warmth of the typical Italian summer night. Waves crashed lazily onto the shore close to Lovino's estate, and the breeze carried the strong scent of ocean salt over the small stone wall and into the young lord's nose. Scents of sea salt, fresh tomatoes, and the sweet aroma of wine all mingled inside his nostrils, and Lovino felt more content than he ever recalled; it was a _perfect _night.

Everything was just so peaceful—so tranquil and _wonderful_ that Lovino really didn't want this perfect night to end. However, all things must come to an end, and he knew this well when the wine finally started taking effect and the realms of sleep started to sweetly lure him towards the comfort of his large bed.

Buzzed from the wine and full from the consumption of tomatoes, Lovino happily crawled into bed and buried himself under the covers. Satisfied and content with life, he closed his beautiful hazel eyes and fell deep into the wonderful realms of sleep.

What seemed like only a few seconds passed before an enormous crash filled the house and woke Lovino from his precious slumber. Now, if there was one thing Lovino hated most, it was being woken up in an obnoxious manner, and _this _was probably the _most_ obnoxious.

Growling in agitation, the young lord kicked off his covers and stomped to the door.

"What the hell is going on?" he angrily muttered, hand lingering above the door handle. "When I find out who's responsible for this shit, I'm gonna—"

His furious musings were cut short when the door suddenly flew open, sending Lovino crashing to the floor with a startled yelp.

"The hell?"

"Mi dispiace tanto, my lord, but this is an emergency! We need to get you out of here, subito!"

"Cecilio?" Lovino cried, confused as to what nonsense his faithful butler spoke. "What in the _hell_ is going on here?"

"Th-there's no time!" Cecilio screeched urgently. "You have to go, _now_! Please, sir, come with me!"

Without another word, Cecilio grabbed his master by the wrist and ran through the corridors of the estate. Lovino wanted to badger his servant for answers, but if Cecilio said it was an emergency and that he needed to leave, then he sure as hell could wait until everything blew over. Panic began to settle in his mind as unanswered questions swirled around him and as Cecilio increased his already speedy pace. What in the name of God was _happening_?

After several more twists and turns, Cecilio stopped by a seemingly harmless bookshelf and pulled out a book. The bookcase swung open to reveal a secret passageway.

"You'll have to take this to escape, there's no other way! You know where it leads! As soon as you exit the passage, run straight for the nearest hiding place! Don't stop running no matter what you do! You must hurry!"

"B-but, I—"

"No time!" Cecilio cried, practically shoving Lovino into the passageway. "Go!"

Lovino felt his eyes water in fear.

"C-Cecilio…"

"_Go_!"

For the first time in his life, Lovino did as he was told: he ran. He ran through the long, dark corridor as fast as his thin legs would carry him. He didn't falter when his body began to tire, he just kept running—running in fear, running in confusion, and running just for the sake of escaping whatever monstrosity that had reduced the usually level-headed Cecilio to a panicked mess.

After finally reaching the exit, Lovino stopped for a brief moment to catch his breath, and then he pushed his way through the exit, only to resume his mad dash to safety.

The cobblestones hurt his bare feet as he sprinted through alleyway after alleyway. Though he was focused on reaching his decided destination—the large rocks on the shore by his estate—the faint noises of screaming, crashing, roaring, shouting…all _sorts_ of unpleasant sounds… They all drifted to his ears and captured his attention for a split second.

'_What's happening?' _he mentally screamed, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill at any moment. _'What's happening to my beloved Napoli?'_

He ran and ran, fear intensifying with every stride, but he met his demise as he tripped over his own feet and smashed into the cobblestones. His knees and hands ached in pain from being scraped, and several small cuts now marred his pretty face. Blood oozed from the freshly opened wounds, and tears began to roll down the young lord's cheeks. Feeling his world crash around him, he began to sob. At first, they were soft and muffled, but soon they transformed into hysteric, terrified screeching. He howled and he cried and he screamed for several minutes before he finally regained _some_ of his senses.

With great effort, Lovino managed to climb to his feet, and he shakily stumbled on, desperate to reach the rocks. As soon as the seashore came into view, he let out a nervous laugh. Tears continued to flow down his face, but he would not stop. Not now. Not when he was so—

"Over there!"

Lovino didn't have time to respond as several pairs of rough hands grabbed at his arms, shoulders, waist, and head. He cried out in alarm and did his best to struggle against the unknown threat, but his efforts were in vein, for soon the hands had him pinned to the ground, said hands heavy against his back and the sand coarse and rough against his sore cheek.

"U-unhand me…!" he spat in demand, feeling more angry than terrified at the moment.

"_Sorry_, but I'm afraid I can't allow that."

Lovino did the best he could to look up as two boot-clad feet came into view. He gasped faintly when his hazel gaze met a wild, menacing crimson stare.

The crimson-eyed man smirked wickedly as he stared down at the young lord, and his smirk only broadened when he completely took in the poor man's figure.

"Well, well… What do we have _here_?"

The crimson-eyed man spoke in a language that Lovino did not understand. It sounded familiar, but he could barely understand a single word. No, it did sound familiar…almost like…German?

"Antonio sure as hell will get a kick out of _you_~" Turning his gaze away from his hostage, the menacing man barked, "Shackle him down and take him back to the ship! Take him straight to the captain! Pronto!"

Lovino's attempt to ponder on how the crimson-eyed man switched from German to heavily-accented Spanish so easily lasted for only a second, for weighty, tight shackles were clasped around his wrists, and several burly men began to drag him towards a little boat resting on the shore. His mind raced and his heard palpitated wildly as realization dawned on him: he was being kidnapped by _pirates_. Pirates that just finished doing a raid in Napoli. _His _Napoli.

Before he knew, he was hoisted onto the enormous ship and was shoved to the ground once again. This time, however, he couldn't find it in himself to move, let alone look up, for he sensed a very _overwhelming _presence standing before him.

"What have you brought me, Gilbert?" a curiously demanding voice spoke in smooth, flowing Spanish.

"We caught him running towards those rocks over there. I thought you'd enjoy a little…_gift_~"

"We will see."

Lovino trembled when the intimidating Spaniard placed his foot under his chin and gently forced him to look up. Fiery hazel orbs locked with piercing emerald, and Lovino felt his face drain of all color and his blood run cold.

The strikingly handsome face of the Spanish pirate gazed down upon Lovino, and with a curious, mischievous smirk, he asked, "And _what_ is _this_~?"

**~Continuará~**

_Hee, I'm enjoying writing this story~ What about you guys? What do you think? I really want to continue, but I won't continue unless I get enough reviews to really give me that extra push. I don't like begging for reviews, but this will be one of those times, because I have everything planned out and really want to complete this story, but I don't want to complete it for three or four reviews. So if you would kindly send me a review, por favor, I will gladly be willing to update as soon as I possibly can! :D Gracias~ ^^_


	3. Chapter Two

**Capítulo Dos**

"You certainly are a piece of work…" the Spanish pirate observed aloud. "What a pretty face you have..."

Lovino attempted to hide his fear, but he figured he was failing miserably, for his captor only chuckled. He tried to avert his gaze as the man knelt down on one knee to get a better look.

"Mm, the dim lighting of our torches does your loveliness no justice. Why don't you…come to my quarters, yeah? It's much more pleasant in there, I'm sure you will find. Warm, _comfortable_…~"

Lovino just stared at the handsome pirate, his hazel orbs widened in confusion, captivation, and sheer _horror_. How the hell did he end up in this situation, anyway? If only he hadn't tripped while running and sat in that alleyway crying for God knows how long! He probably would have been in hiding right now, safe and out of the clutches of these…_bastard pirates_! It was stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

As the young lord continued to stare in silence, the emerald-eyed man cocked an eyebrow.

"Do you not understand?" he questioned. "¿No hablas español?"

Lovino quickly snapped back to reality. Shaking his head, he replied in stuttering Spanish, "N-no, I…y-yo hablar…no, I mean…sí, hablo español. I…I understand…"

The pirate's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. Grinning, he exclaimed, "¡Muy bien! Now, come with me, por favor."

"N-no!" the Italian abruptly cried. This was insane! He was the _ruler _of freaking _Southern Italy_, for God's sake! There was no way in _hell _that he was going to be taken prisoner by these barbarians! Feeling some of his fear vanish in the heat of the moment, he gathered up all his courage and authority to sit up and shout, "I will _not_ come with you! Take me back to shore this _instant_! Do you have any idea who I am?"

The emerald-eyed pirate grinned in amusement as he gazed at his hostage. Raising his eyebrows slightly, he answered, "I'm afraid I do not. ¿Cuál es tu nombre?"

"My name is Lovino Vargas!" Lovino spat, clenching his fists in defiance. "I'm the rule of Southern Italy!"

"Aaah, I see~ Me llamo Antonio Carriedo. _Captain_ Antonio Carriedo. Now…" Captain Carriedo removed a pistol from its holster and aimed it directly at his unruly captive. His grin transforming into a dangerous smirk, he continued, "You were saying, Lovino Vargas, ruler of Southern Italy~?"

Lovino's mouth suddenly went dry, and all amounts of previous courage and rebellious ambition dissipated back into terror and helplessness.

"D-don't shoot…" he breathed, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. Panicked tears formed in his large eyes as he trembled and added, "I'll do anything…"

"That's what I thought," Antonio grunted, lowering his weapon and shoving it back into its holster. "Now come with me."

Lovino could hear the crew snickering behind him as he hesitantly followed their captain. Swallowing the heavy knot in his throat, he entered the room that he was led to. He eyed the various knick-knacks displayed about, then the cluttered desk sitting against the wall to his right, and finally his eyes settled on the large bed in the center of the room. It was a very elaborate room, to say the least, but then again that was to be expected of pirate captains, wasn't it?

"Go ahead, have a seat," Antonio instructed, gesturing to the bed.

Lovino nodded and obeyed, keeping his head lowered and his gaze on the wooden floorboards. He was slightly surprised to find that the bed was soft and _very_ comfortable, but he decided to keep that comment to himself.

Antonio watched him for awhile, but the silence became too overbearing to the point where he could stand it no longer.

"Come now," he said, cracking a tiny smile. "I really have no intention of hurting you."

"Mm…" Lovino grunted in response, not wanting to talk to the man.

"…Right. Well, seeing on how you're practically naked, how about I find you some clothes?"

"…Whatever," Lovino mumbled, tugging at the hem of his nightshirt in an attempt to cover a certain part of his otherwise naked body.

"I also see that you have minor injuries, due to falling, I presume. We should get those bandaged up, sí?"

"I can do it myself," Lovino snapped, refusing to look at his captor. "I'm not helpless."

Antonio just chuckled. Walking over to a chest filled with clothing, he said, "Now, now, no need to get all stingy. I'm just trying to be a good host~"

"Good host my ass! Your band of _misfits_ out there _kidnapped _me, and _you're_ not letting me go! Yeah, what _wonderful_ hospitality! Ch'! Jackass."

"I'm only trying to make your stay more pleasant~" the pirate captain replied cheerily as he pulled some clothes out of the clothing chest and walked to his desk. Pulling a roll of gauze and a little bottle out of a drawer, he approached Lovino and set the articles on the edge of the bed. "Alright, let's treat those wounds, shall we?"

"Don't touch me," Lovino growled, turning away from his captor.

_Now_ Antonio was annoyed. Eyes growing dark, he gripped the Italian lord's chin roughly and forced him to look at him. Frowning slightly, he threateningly hissed, "Give it a rest already. Hospitality from me is rare, so you should be thankful. I can kill you at any given moment, so I suggest you shut up, sit still, let me help you, and show a little more gratitude. ¿Comprende?"

Lovino swallowed as he stared into those menacing green eyes that both frightened and captivated him. Trembling slightly, he whispered, "S-sí…"

"Bueno." Switching back into a cheerful tone, the captain smiled and said, "Now let's clean you up, hm~? Oh, and I apologize for the clothing. That's all I have, so we will get you something much more fitting at our next stop~"

"It's…fine…" Lovino murmured. "Um…gracias…"

"¡De nada, amigo~!"

After several minutes of cleaning wounds, wincing (on Lovino's part), and bandaging, Antonio pulled away and put his medical supplies back into their proper drawer. Lovino slipped into the clothes he had been given—a pair of brown breeches and a white button-up shirt, both of which were slightly too big—and sat back down on the bed. Needless to say, he _still_ wasn't too ecstatic about his current predicament.

"Feeling better?" Antonio asked with a cheerful smile.

"…Sure."

"¡Muy bien! Now, my services don't come free, just so you know. I'm going to need compensation for all those nice things I just did for you."

Lovino stared at him. Blinking slowly, he asked, "Such as…?"

"Número uno: stay in here until I say you can come out. You are officially my prisoner; therefore this is your 'cell.' Be thankful—I _could_ throw you below deck in the brig with all the rats and cutthroat traitors, but I'm feeling gracious tonight.

Número dos: you will do whatever I want, _whenever_ I want. In other words, if I say, 'Get me a glass of water,' you get up and get me water. If I say, 'Pleasure me,' then you sure as hell better drop to your knees and open your mouth. No questions, no arguing, no struggling, et cetera, et cetera. Are we clear? ¿Sí? Bien."

Lovino continued to stare at the pirate. Resisting the urge to jump up and tackle him, he gritted his teeth, exhaled deeply, and replied, "Of course…"

"Excelente. I'm going to head out there and get us out of here before we get attacked. Make yourself comfortable, because you're going to be with us for a very, _very_ long time," Antonio stated with a grin. "Buenas noches~"

With that said, the emerald-eyed pirate exited his quarters, leaving Lovino alone to stew on his current situation. Gnashing his teeth and suppressing his temper, he quietly hissed, "Well this is just fucking _magnificent_."

**~Continuará~**

_Waaah, thank you so much for sticking with me, guys! And thank you for your reviews! ^^~ Your opinions matter the most to me; your reviews are what gives me the inspiration to hurry up and update as soon as possible! Otherwise, without any motivation, I get severe writer's block and can't write for a long, loooong period of time. _

_So yeah! Drop me a quick note and I'll get that writing fire going again and post chapter three A.S.A.P! ;D_


	4. Chapter Three

_**Warning**: This chapter is very disturbing and somewhat graphic**. **Rape is strongly implied, so if that concept makes you uncomfortable, please refrain from reading this chapter. I am well aware that it is an uncomfortable subject and I have literally been in a similar situation, so if anyone here has a hard time swallowing rape-related context, please wait until next chapter when things start to lighten up a bit. As a faint spoiler and to ease your minds a little if you DO read this chapter: Lovino will no longer be raped after this. _**  
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**Ca****pítulo Tres**

"Captain!"

Antonio jerked a bit, realizing that he had almost fallen asleep at the wheel. Shaking off his tiredness the best he could, he gripped the helm firmly and directed his attention towards the direction of the voice.

"Ah, Gilbert!" he exclaimed, stifling a yawn in the process. "What is going on, amigo?"

Gilbert chuckled and shook his head.

"Nada. Just letting you know that dawn's approaching, and you've been steering this thing for the past day and a half without any sleep. Why not let me take over for awhile?"

"Nah, I'm fine~ Really!" Antonio exclaimed in response. "All is well, my dearest friend. Thanks for the offer, though!"

Gilbert raised an eyebrow and snorted. Smirking a bit, he said, "Don't give me that load of bull. You look like you're going to drop at any second. I _just_ caught you falling asleep up here! Seriously, gimme the wheel."

"You are mistaken~ I wasn't falling asleep~"

"Bullshit! Go lay down."

"Gil, I'm fine."

"Go lay _down_, Antonio. I can take it from here," the German stated, his crimson stare locking with bloodshot emerald.

Said emerald gaze grew dark and the Spanish captain tensed. Staring at his friend, he gravely stated, "Gilbert, you are my best friend and my first mate, but you are in no position to give me orders."

Gilbert smirked, unfazed by the captain's change in attitude.

"You don't scare me, _Captain_."

"Perhaps a bullet to the skull will change your mind."

"See? You're cranky. That's a _classic_ sign of sleep deprivation. You need to sleep, man! If you don't sleep, you'll die! Seriously! I had an uncle who went a week without sleeping and _BAM_! He keeled over just like that."

Antonio blinked and his eyes returned to a bright, curious shine.

"_Reall_y?" he asked.

"_Really_," Gilbert confirmed. "Of course, he was a dumbass to begin with, so no one really missed him. Okay, so _maybe_ my little brother did a bit, but that kid's too bighearted for his own good _anyway_, and—"

"Fine, fine! Take the helm!" the Spaniard cried. "I'll go sleep for awhile! Keep us on course, por favor. We're headed southwest."

"Thaaat's what I thought~" Gilbert cooed, retrieving the handles of the helm from the captain. "Wait, southwest? Shouldn't we go west?"

"Do not doubt me, señor. I know what I'm doing. I've sailed to and from from Cádiz to Nápoles _many_, many times. In due time we will gradually steer towards the west, but that won't happen for awhile~"

"…Ah. 'Kay. Whatever you say, man."

"Yay~ …But all silliness aside, I'm going to sleep now. Well…" Antonio paused to smirk, his eyes glinting with an impish sparkle. "…I may…_play_ a little, first…~"

Glibert smirked as well, chuckling deeply at what his companion was implying.

"Ah, that's _right_~ You have a new _toy_~"

"Sí~ Now, if you'll excuse me, my friend, I have some _business_ to attend to~"

"Aye, Captain!"

Antonio was about to walk away, but he stopped in mid step to say one last thing.

"Oh, and tell the crew to be on guard. Our _guest_ is not to leave my quarters without my permission. And no one is allowed to touch him except I. Anyone who dares lay a hand on him, be it out of spite or lust, I will _personally_ slit their throat. Captain's orders."

"Understood," the German said with a nod. "I will inform the crew."

"Bien. Well, I'm off~ See you when I wake up~!"

"Yeah, yeah! Just get in there already!"

The Spanish pirate laughed jovially as he headed towards his quarters. Upon entering, he was greeted by the sight of Lovino curled up under the blankets, sprawled out across the bed and fast asleep. Needless to say it was a rather…_sweet_ sight, thus causing the emerald-eyed pirate's heart to skip a beat. However, he pushed aside whatever thought his mind was currently processing as a strong wave of pure lust washed over him and surged through his body. Smirking wickedly, he practically traipsed over to the bed.

"I'm sorry to disturb your slumber, Lovino Vargas, but I must speak with you. It's very _important_~"

"Go away…" Lovino grumbled groggily, snuggling into the pillow clutched in his hands. Half asleep and uncaring, he swatted at the hand that was placed on his shoulder and slurred, "When my brother finds out I'm gone, he'll panic and send the whole friggin' Italian navy after your ass…"

"Oooh, I'm so _terrified_~" Antonio sarcastically chimed. "The Italian navy, oh no~!" He chuckled. "Anyway, as I was saying, I have something important to tell you."

The Italian snorted and smirked.

"What, are you dying from a terminal illness you just caught? Praise God!"

The pirate felt his left eye twitch.

"…You're not cute."

"Wasn't trying to be, _jackass_. Now go away and let me sleep."

Okay, that was it. Growling in agitation, Antonio forcefully grabbed Lovino by the shoulder and turned him so they were both facing each other.

"I was going to say that I found a genuine _use_ for you," the Spaniard growled, dark smirk slowly inching across his face. "Ten years of unreleased _sexual tension_ is finally about to pay off."

"What the hell?" Lovino shouted, pushing the man away from him. Since his captor was unarmed at the moment, he felt like he had more of an advantage. "Don't touch me, you sick bastard!"

Antonio growled and lunged at his prisoner, both furious and blinded by the animal-like _need_ to just _have sex_. Lovino yelped in surprise when the pirate pinned him to the bed, but there was no way he was going down without a fight. He wasn't some cheap whore that would spread his legs whenever his captor demanded, and he sure as hell didn't want the bastard's dick inside him _anyway_!

"You're mine," Antonio hissed, moving his hand toward the Italian lord's member.

"F…_fuck you_!" Lovino bellowed, struggling with all his might. Luckily enough, he somehow managed to elbow the pirate in the stomach with every ounce of strength he could muster. Antonio fell to the bed, winded and temporarily immobilized; Lovino took the opportunity to get up and run for the door.

'_Take that, you son of a bitch!' _he thought triumphantly as he dashed across the room. _'Next time you better think twice before you lay your disgusting hands on me!'_

His moment of victory was short lived, however, as Antonio staggered to his feet and charged after him. Just as Lovino was about to throw open the door, Antonio grabbed him from behind and practically _threw_ him on the bed. Lovino screamed and struggled with everything he had. He got an occasional punch or kick in with all his resisting, but Antonio now appeared to be unaffected by pain, for his anger was only fueled more, and a look of utmost _death_ adorned his face.

"_Now you've done it_," he snarled, pinning Lovino's wrists above his head. "When I'm finished with you, you won't be able to walk for a fucking _year_!"

Lovino spat in his face. Struggling despite the fact that his hands were pinned, he yelled, "When I get out of this mess, I'll see to it that you're beheaded! I'll have your fucking head mounted above my fireplace! Just you wait!"

Antonio only laughed darkly and smirked. Untying the sash from around his waist, he used it to tightly bind his captive's wrists to the bedpost. Straddling him, the emerald-eyed pirate wrapped his hands tightly around Lovino's throat.

"Why don't you just learn to keep that fucking mouth of yours shut? _All_ of our lives would be _so much _easier if you could just grasp the fucking concept of _being quiet_!"

"F-fuck you…" Lovino managed to rasp, his oxygen supply dwindling as the pirate continued to strangle him.

"On the contrary, _my flower_, it is _I_ who will be fucking _you_." With swift motions, Antonio ripped the clothing from the Italian's body and shed his own. "Prepare yourself, _sweetheart_, 'cause I'm going in!"

Outside the room, the entire crew froze as the shrill screeches and cries of agony seeped through the walls. Even Gilbert, who has never been scared of _anything_ in his _life_ stood still in apprehension. In all the years he knew Antonio, he had known that he could be vicious, but never that _ruthless_. As his crimson eyes widened in shock, he tightly clenched the helm of the ship and whispered, "Mein Gott…"

**~Continuará~**

_**IMPORTANT NOTE**__: Okay, so lots of you are pointing out things that are either confusing you or you're not particularly "fond" of, which. Is. GREAT! :D _

_You see, this is aaaaall part of my grand master plan~ Whenever I get reviews that are like, "I LOVE this story, but I don't really like…" I get EXCITED~ X3 See, I have this entire story already plotted out and what's gonna happen when, where, etc, and since this is a _suspense_ fic, I—being the horrible, eeeeevil fic writer—am taking my time to draw you in, make you a liiiittle uncomfortable due to minor details, and then BAM! I'mma throw something in your faces (I won't tell you what or when, cuz that'll just ruin everything. =A= ) that'll hopefully get you guys going, "HOLY SHIT! OAO DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN?" That's the plan~ And if I succeed, YAY, cookies for me and for all y'all~ …If I fail, then…y'all have my permission to throw rotten tomatoes at me. I promise I won't dodge. _

_Oh, and for the record, I'm a HORRIBLE Spanish speaker. I'm attempting to use what I learned from my Spanish classes and…well…since this is only my second semester of Spanish here at the college, I'm doing the best I can! So if I make little mistakes, please forgive me! ;A; _

_Anyway, thanks for all the favs, alerts, and reviews, guys! You're all so sweet and make me so happy~ :'D Until the next chapter~ ;D_


	5. Chapter Three Part II

**~Capítulo Tres: The Aftermath~**

Lovino stared at the ceiling above, his emotions stashed away somewhere in the back of his mind as he blocked out the memories for the past hour…two hours…three…? He didn't know how much time had passed since those horrible occurrences in Captain Carriedo's quarters, and neither did he care. He refused to cry, and he refused to wallow in the sorrow that clouded his heart. Instead, he glanced at the sleeping figure next to him and an idea began to form in his mind. Swallowing back tears of hatred and disgust, he forced himself to sit up and glare at the man curled up next to him.

'_What you've done is unforgivable. I won't let myself be tormented by your any longer.'_

Staggering to his feet, he climbed out of bed and slowly inched towards the pirate's waistcoat that was hanging on the wall. Scowling in anger, he dug through a pocket in search of something—_anything_—he could use to carry out his plan. When his hands came in contact with something cold and metallic, he smirked and retrieved it from the scarlet depths. In his hands he held a dagger.

"Perfect," he whispered to himself, eyes hard and burning with the fires of vengeance.

Turning back towards the bed, he crept towards the slumbering pirate. Unsheathing the blade, he held it firmly in his slightly trembling hand and held it high above Antonio's chest. He froze, however, when he noticed a single tear slide down the pirate's cheek.

"F-forgive me…" Antonio whispered, trembling in his sleep. "I didn't…G-God, have mercy…!"

Lovino quickly crawled back into the bed and hid the dagger beneath the pillow; if Antonio woke up and saw him, Lord only _knew_ what would happen.

"P-Papá…Papá, no…! I didn't want to hurt him…! I didn't want to hurt him! Don't leave… Don't leave! Father!"

With a gasp, Antonio shot up. Lovino quickly clamped his eyes shut and pretended to be asleep, trying to fathom what the _hell_ was going on with that stupid bastard. Antonio turned to the body next to him and bit his lip. His emerald eyes filled with tears, and his lip began to tremble.

"What have I done…?" he whispered. "I…oh, God…I… Papá...what do I do…? I…I can't fix this, can I…?"

_Now_ Lovino was confused. He tried not to flinch when he felt Antonio lay down and drape his arm around his shoulders.

"You'll never forgive me…" Antonio whispered in his ear, his voice quivering with remorse. "I deserve to die for this… In all my years, I never… I may be a pirate, and I may be cruel, but this…what I've just done to you…goes against my own personal code. If God does not kill me first, when you awake…I…"

He trailed off and let out a choked sob. Lovino tried not to gape at the sound, and his blood ran cold. _Now_ what was he going to do? He knew he couldn't trust Antonio, but _this_…well, he honestly wasn't expecting _this_. Captain Carriedo was a cruel, bloodthirsty pirate. Why the hell was he _crying_? And what did he mean by "personal code?" Now he was more curious than angry, though the intense desire to drive that dagger through Antonio's heart still burned strong and true.

'_Fuck…what now?'_

"I'm sorry…" Antonio whispered. "I'm so, so sorry…"

**~Continuará~**

_I added this for my own peace of mind. I wrote chapter three in the middle of the night when I was jacked on coffee, and the more I read it over, memories that I've kept locked away come flooding back, and I needed a little closure. So this extra piece is actually for my own peace of mind, as well as for y'all's. Forgive me if I seriously offended anyone…_

_A review would be nice, just so I know that y'all don't hate me now. _

_**Edit**: This little shot was written in like, a 10 minute time span, because I was in a hurry and had to get to one of my classes, so excuse any errors because I didn't have time to edit. Since I'm going to go back and do that NOW, you won't have to worry about it~ Oh, and we'll say Antonio untied Lovino after he was finished with business, because why not?  
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	6. Chapter Four

**Capítulo Cuatro **

Lovino ended up falling asleep after all, for he awoke from a dreamless slumber quite some time after the previous incidents. To his surprise, Antonio was nowhere to be seen, and the dagger he had stashed under his pillow was now missing. He tensed when that revelation hit him, and his heart stopped for a split second when he concluded that Antonio must have spotted the blade and took it with him. Oh, this was just _perfect_. Now he was dead for sure!

'_Fuck!' _the young Italian mentally cried. _'Fuck, I'm dead for _sure_! …Well, this time if I really have to die, I'm going to go down with some honor, dammit! I'm not gonna run away or beg! I—"_

All thoughts ceased when the door swung open and Antonio walked inside. Lovino sat up straight—bold and unafraid—and held his breath. When sparkling emerald locked with fiery hazel, the atmosphere of the room grew awkward. The air seemed to be filled with static, and it only grew worse the longer they stared at each other. After several seconds that felt like several _centuries_, Antonio decided to break the silence.

"Oh…you're awake."

Lovino held his ground. This was it: the point of no return. He knew he would have to face his enemy sooner or later, and that time was now. He wasn't going to go down a coward—he was going down a _man_. He wasn't afraid, not this time! He—

"Here."

The Italian jumped slightly when the very same dagger he had taken earlier was tossed in his direction.

Fast reflexes kicking in, he stood and caught it. He stared at the dagger for a moment before he looked back to his captor with a confused glare.

"What's this for."

Antonio chuckled slightly and ran a hand through his messy brow hair. Shaking his head, he sighed and replied, "So you can protect yourself."

Lovino snorted and crossed his arms.

"It's a little late for that, isn't it? I see how this works. I _know_ what you're trying to do. As soon as I pull this thing out, you'll shoot me. Just how fucking stupid do you think I am?"

The pirate just chuckled forlornly.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but if I cared that you wanted to kill me, I would've shot you while you were asleep. Though I do not regret taking you from Nápoles, I _do_ regret taking your body the way I did."

Lovino laughed—a cruel, bitter laugh that was more forced and angry than anything. Snickering wickedly, he snarled at the Spaniard and spat, "You're a fucking _liar_. If you _truly_ regret, you wouldn't have done it in the first place! In fact, if it defies your precious 'personal code' so much, you wouldn't have walked in here with the intention of having sex with me to begin with!"

Antonio froze at the mention of his code.

"How did you know about my personal code…?"

"_God_, you're fucking stupid. You were screaming something in your sleep about your father and how, 'I didn't mean to do it! It defies my personal code, I didn't mean to! Papá, Papá!'" Lovino paused and crossed his arms. With a vicious expression, he hissed, "So much for your standards or whatever. When you're dead and burning in Hell, I'm going to dance on your grave and throw a party."

The Spanish pirate seemed to take his time absorbing the information from his captive. He blinked slowly several times before he came up with a decision. Emerald eyes void of any emotion, he removed every weapon he possessed and tossed them one by one across the room. Lovino cocked an eyebrow and gripped the dagger in his hand tightly, wondering what in the name of God this lunatic was doing _now_. If need be, he wouldn't hesitate stabbing the blade into the bastard's heart.

"Kill me," Antonio demanded softly, his eyes boring holes into the Italian lord's soul. "I'm giving you a free shot. Will you do it?"

Lovino scoffed and marched over to his enemy. He was on guard, but something told him Antonio _really_ wasn't going to move any time soon. Unsheathing the blade, he held it to the pirate captain's throat...and froze.

"Do it…" Antonio breathed, closing his eyes as if preparing for his demise. "Just do it…"

Lovino glared and pressed the blade against Antonio's throat, the pressure _just_ enough to break the skin and cause tiny rivulets of blood to trickle onto the metal and down the pirate's tanned neck. Antonio let out another deep breath and waited for Lovino to continue. The remaining fragments of his conscious screamed that he deserved this, and he knew that somewhere in Heaven, his father was looking down on him with the same thought.

"You're really going to let me kill you this easy?" the Italian questioned, believing the whole situation to be too good to be true. "You're _really_ going to let me take your life as imbursement for the sins you've committed against me?"

"Sí…" the pirate murmured, eyes still closed.

Lovino pulled away and scowled.

"…Then I refuse."

Emerald-green eyes immediately shot open, and a strong sense of irritability began to bubble inside him. Clenching his fists, he stared at Lovino with dark eyes and demanded, "Why."

"You want it so badly, right? Hmph. I realize you aren't worth a quick and easy death, especially if you want it to escape. You're nothing but a coward. If you _truly_ 'feel guilty' like you claim, then I'm going to give you the displeasure of writhing in your misery. Nothing would satisfy me more than to watch you squirm." The young lord placed the dagger back in its sheath and tossed it on the bed. Staring into the pirate's emerald orbs, he added, "I'm not afraid of you anymore."

A low growl escaped Antonio's throat. Turning away from the Italian, he snapped, "Then leave me. You have no use to me right now."

"Ch'. With pleasure," Lovino grumbled. Once he reached the door, he paused and took a glance back at his captor. "Oh, and for the record, if I'm going to kill you, I'd rather watch you suffer a slow, painful death. One that makes you cry out in agony."

"I said leave me!" Antonio spat, kicking his desk in an attempt to release some of his frustration. "You're free to go wherever you'd like, just get out of here!"

Lovino wasted no time leaving the room. He squinted against the bright sunlight of the mid-afternoon sun, and the refreshing aroma of sea salt rushed into his nostrils. He inhaled deeply and exhaled, a faint smile playing across his lips. It reminded him of his precious Napoli, and the intense yearning to just go home burned within his heart.

"Hey! What are you doing out of the Captain's quarters?" a sharp voice suddenly cried, snapping the young lord out of his thoughts. "You shouldn't be out here!"

The Italian rolled his eyes and scowled. Casting a glance to the pirate that approached him, he replied, "He gave me permission to leave. If you don't believe me you can ask him yourself, but from the looks of things, he'll probably kill you if you disturb him."

The pirate froze and shook his head.

"W-well…"

"Leave him alone, Emilio!" came a gruff voice from above. "Remember what the captain said? Don't touch his guest!"

The man known as Emilio quickly withdrew and spit on the ground. Glaring at Lovino, he turned away, all the while grumbling under his breath as he walked. Lovino rolled his eyes and decided it was pointless to just keep standing in the same spot, so he forced himself to climb the small set of stairs up towards the helm, where the voice had come from.

Gilbert looked away from whatever he was staring and grinned at the Italian.

"Well, well!"

"Yeah, save it," Lovino grumbled, moving to sit down.

Gilbert snorted and shook his head.

"So…how are you feeling?" he asked, deciding it was best to attempt conversation with his visitor.

Lovino felt deeply offended at the question. Glaring daggers into the German's face, he hissed, "What kind of question is that? How do you fucking _think_ I feel? For God's sake, that bastard just _raped_ me! I'm disgusted! I'm _beyond_ pissed! I'm so upset I can't even fucking _think_ straight! I feel violated and weak, I hurt all fucking over, and to top it off I feel like my pride has been completely _crushed_! I was taken from my home, I'm a prisoner on this fucking ship, and your _captain_ is fucking insane!"

"Okay, you have a point. I—"

"What the hell is wrong with him, anyway?" Lovino interrupted. "Is he mentally unstable? I seriously think he's got some kind of fucking mental illness! First he's ready to kill me on sight at any moment, then he decides the best use for me is to have fucking _sex_ with me, so he _rapes_ me, and then after he's finished he starts crying out in his sleep about his father and something called his 'personal code?' The bastard wakes up and starts bawling like a baby, then he has the _nerve_ to apologize? Oh, and get this: the son of a bitch gives me a dagger to kill him with because apparently he 'regrets' everything, and then gets all pissy when I refuse to kill him! What the _fuck_?"

Gilbert's crimson orbs softened, and a tiny, sad smile spread across his lips. Sighing a bit, he shook his head and murmured, "That's Toni for ya…"

"…What."

The German pirate smiled slightly at the Italian lord.

"He's…never been the same after his father died. In fact, after all the shit he's been though, I'm surprised he just became a pirate instead of killing himself like most people in similar situations would've probably done."

Lovino cocked an eyebrow.

"The hell are you talking about?"

"It's a long, tragic, complicated story. I mean, if you _really_ wanna hear it I'd be more than happy to tell, but why should _you_ care? After all, he _is_ a ruthless pirate captain."

"I don't care about the bastard's life story," Lovino growled. "But I _am_ curious, I have to admit."

"I thought so," Gilbert said with a slight grin. "To start off, Antonio is the son of a ridiculously rich merchant that used to sail back and forth from Cádiz—that's where we're headed, by the way—to Naples to do his trading and whatnot. Toni's mother died when he was very young, so his father had no choice but to leave him with the servants of his household while he was away."

"What? Really?" Lovino was already astonished. "How did his mother…?"

"Terminal illness," the white-haired first mate confirmed. "Left this world when Antonio was only three."

"Ah…"

"Anyway, Toni always dreamed of sailing to Naples with his father. They were _really_ close—Señor Carriedo loved Antonio more than his own life, and vice-versa. Antonio's very existence revolved around his dear old Papá, so it was only natural that his death shook the poor kid to the very _core_."

Lovino swallowed.

"S-so, how did _he_ die…?"

"Ah…" Gilbert looked up in thought. "Oh, yeah. When Toni was only nine years old, Señor Carriedo took him to Naples for the very first time; he _loved_ it. In fact, Naples has always been a _big_ part of Antonio's life. Without that city of yours, I think he'd be completely _lost_. Yeah, Toni loved Naples more than his own country, actually.

Anyway, because he loved the city so much, Señor Carriedo continued to bring Antonio along with him. One day, however, shortly after Antonio's eleventh birthday…something _terrible_ happened. It was the worst twist of fate that could possibly be thrown at a boy that young. You see, they had just finished with their business in Naples and were headed back to their home in Cádiz that night, and in the midst of their voyage home…their ship was attacked by pirates."

Lovino's jaw dropped.

"I know, right? How ironic is that?" the albino pirate asked, more rhetorical then actually directed at his guest. "Anyway, they killed _everyone_, including Señor Carriedo. The saddest part about it, though, is that they killed him right in front of Antonio—the man died in his son's arms after the first mate of the crew shot him. They were originally going to kill Toni, too, but the captain took pity on him. The captain welcomed Antonio as part of the crew and made him cabin boy.

It was hard for Toni to adapt, especially since his beloved father was killed by the same people that took him in, but he eventually did. Those pirates taught him the ways of the sea, how to sail, how to navigate using both maps and the stars…he travelled with them to different countries of the Caribbean, as well as those in South America. He learned many, many things from each country, but his heart ached with a fire that could only be quenched by Naples.

After a couple years passed, the pirates returned Antonio to Spain. While they were getting ready to set sail and leave Cádiz, they were attacked by the Spanish navy and were all tried for their crimes. Antonio watched the execution of the second fatherly figure he ever had, as well as those of some of his newly-beloved friends. But it only gets worse from there.

Antonio, who was always such a kind, honest, cheerful kid with a heart of gold, returned to his mansion, only to find that it had been sold to another family, thus making him homeless. That's how _I_ met him. I was on a…_vacation_ to Spain, and I found him scrounging for food in a pile of garbage. We hit it off right away after I offered him a place to stay for awhile, and yeah. Long story short, his life was screwed up and so was mine, so we both became pirates, gathered a crew, and decided to wreak havoc on the seas~ …Oh, and I forgot about his brother…"

"His _brother_?" Lovino asked. He was already struggling to comprehend the first part of the bastard Captain Antonio's story, but now there was _more_?

Gilbert nodded.

"Ja. Well…more like _half-brother_, but still his brother nonetheless. I'll try to make this quick… Okay, so when Antonio's father met his mother, she already had a son. They were both from Portugal. Señor Carriedo was never too fond of the lad, but he did his best to accept him. Of course when Antonio came into the picture, there was obvious favoritism. However, Antonio loved his older brother with everything he had and always had the best times with him whenever Señor Carriedo was away. Though they were always arguing, Toni and his brother cared for each other more than anything. Antonio had always wanted to go with his father, but he was slightly saddened when his father took him to Naples because he had to leave his brother, but they both knew they'd be reunited eventually.

…Well, that eventually never came after Toni was taken in by the pirates. When he returned to Spain, his brother was nowhere to be found. He searched and searched, but the only word he received was that his brother left shortly after he had received word that his stepfather was dead and his little brother was missing. Toni guesses that his brother either went back to Portugal or sailed off to Brazil, though he's not sure. He's never heard from his brother since."

Lovino looked down at his feet. What a depressing story…

"W-well…despite all he's been through, I still consider him to be my greatest enemy. After everything he's done _already_, I…I just can't pity him. Just because his life was hard doesn't give him the right to kill or hurt innocent people. And besides, though my life isn't _nearly_ as complicated, there's no way it's a cakewalk, either!"

The Germanic first mate smiled a bit.

"I understand. It's only natural. Speaking of, I'm wondering about you. Just who are you, anyway? Besides being the 'ruler of Southern Italy.' You've been through all this shit in such a short amount of time, but you're still outspoken and snarky. You've been ruthlessly raped, but you hide it well for the most part. What's with you?"

"I never show my weakness to my enemies," Lovino grunted, a small smirk spreading across his lips. "Especially not to you stupid heathens. It's a lesson my grandfather taught me long ago before he died."

"Oh?" Gilbert was now interested. "Why don't you tell me what else this grandfather of yours taught you? Hell, tell me _your_ story. I'm kinda interested, I'm not gonna lie."

The Italian cocked an eyebrow. Now why would this _pirate_—the one who got him _into_ this situation from the beginning—be interested in _his_ story? Lovino officially came to the conclusion that this albino bastard was just as nuts as his captain friend. Still, it was nice to actually _talk_ to somebody in a…_civilized_ manner.

"Well…okay, then," he suddenly said. "It's not nearly as complicated as _Antonio's_, but it's _far_ from perfect and happy."

**~Continuará~**

_Holy crap, I'm dead. *face/desk* It's been a crazy day, ooooh lordy… But yay, now you have some insight on Toni's story (little details will be filled in later by Toni himself~)! Lovi's and Gil's stories will be told in the next chapter~ _

_Once again, sorry for leaving you guys hanging for so long (well, actually, I'm a little early, yay~!). I'm sure there's been longer, but I like to update as soon as possible. Anyway, I'm gonna head off to bed~ G'night, all, and I look forward to hearing from you! :D_

_**Edit/Quick Note**: Once again, I apologize for any and all mistakes I make (I'm only human, after all~), and I welcome all constructive criticism so I can go back and fix my mistakes. I wanna make this story as perfect as possible for everyone, and on top of that I'm a perfectionist so it's deeply appreciated when you guys DO point stuff out, but it gets kinda old when nearly all the reviews I get point out a mistake here or there. _

_If it bothers you _that_ much, feel free to send them, but I'd REALLY appreciate it more if you guys sent me reviews explaining how you feel about the _story in general_. And since apparently my Spanish class just isn't working for me, I'mma refrain from referencing the things I "learned" from it. So, yeeeeah…_

_ Anway, thanks again, guys (jeez, do I say that enough or what? XD)! I seriously can't thank you enough~_


	7. Chapter Five

**Capítulo Cinco**

"I can't tell you much about my parents…" Lovino began, directing his gaze to the vast azure sky above. "They both died in an accident shortly after my little brother—his name Feliciano; he rules the northern half of Italy—was born, so our grandpa took us in. At the time, he was in charge of taking care of Italy as a whole, since there was no one else fit for the position, and Feli and I were only children."

Gilbert listened intently as he navigated the ship. The name "Feliciano" seemed to ring a bell, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it…

"Our grandfather was a kind, good-spirited man, but he was very strict when it came to ruling his country," the Italian continued. "He loved my brother and I very much, but sometimes I got the impression that he loved Feli a _little_ more. Feli's sweet and kind, happy and carefree. He's…the total opposite of myself. He's more of an attractive person personality wise, so it's only natural people like him better, but…" He paused to chuckle. "Grandpa loved me just as much as my little brother; I know that for a fact. Anyway, Grandpa taught us everything we needed to know about ruling a country, as well as giving us personal advice to take to heart. I was always better at applying his advice to my life than my brother, so that's one for me on the tally board.

I spent most of my free time as a kid sleeping and being lazy. Heh, Grandpa would always get so _mad_! 'Why don't you do something productive with your life?' he'd always scold. 'Go out and find a hobby or something! You'll be a boring and pretty much useless ruler otherwise!'"

Gilbert laughed, causing Lovino to laugh a bit as well. Needless to say, it felt…_good_ to laugh. It was what he needed…

"But yeah, I used to get scolded a lot. However, I also got praised a lot, too, because I took training seriously. I wanted to be a good ruler and make Grandpa proud—I wanted to be the best ruler Southern Italy could ask for. Training was long and excruciatingly hard, but I survived. However…there came a day when…the training stopped..."

Gilbert glanced and his visitor and noticed that his face was wrought with grief. Whatever happened must have been hard for the young Italian…

"About five years ago, shortly after my seventeenth birthday, my Grandpa…" Lovino trailed off and swallowed back his tears. The memory was too overbearing so he did his best to never talk about it, but since he was telling his story, he knew he had to man up and tell it. "Five years ago, my grandfather was assassinated."

"What, really?" the albino pirate asked, his crimson eyes wide. "That's…wow…I just…yeah…"

"Mm… We were all sleeping, and someone managed to sneak into my grandfather's manor… We didn't know until the morning after when the maids found him. Someone had slit his throat while he was asleep… Almost immediately after Grandpa's funeral, Feliciano and I were separated—I went to Napoli, he went to San Marino. We both knew that the day finally came when we had to step up to the plate and take charge of Italy, though we were in no way prepared. Despite all the training we had, there were still many things that we didn't know, so it was a challenge. But after awhile we both managed to get the hang of things.

Lately, however, more and more problems have been popping up in Napoli, so I've had my hands full. Yesterday was the most problem-filled day I've had so far…and then _you _bastards came and just made everything worse."

Gilbert snorted.

"We're _pirates_. What did you expect?" he asked. "_You_ were just in the wrong place at the wrong time! I'm sure if you weren't running on the beach we wouldn't have even noticed you!"

Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. What's done is done. I suppose it's out of the question to even _think_ that you bastards will take me back. Either way, I know that I'll be rescued soon, but I'm not looking forward to going back. After the mess you and all your _friends_ caused, I'm pretty sure there's going to be a _ton_ that I have to clean up and fix once I'm home."

"You're welcome~" the albino crooned with a grin.

"…Yeah, shut up. But that's my story. Now it's your turn," the young lord grunted, glaring a bit at the white-haired first mate.

"Aaah, so you're interested in _my_ awesome story now, eh? Well then!" Gilbert snickered. "There's not very much to mine, so I can wrap this up in like, two minutes or so. Watch. Okay! So, I was born in Prussia. My family has always been dirt poor, whooptie-doo. Anyway, we moved to Germany when I was like, six or so, and around that time my mother gave birth to my baby brother, Ludwig."

Lovino took in this information. Ludwig…why did that name sound familiar?

"My folks weren't exactly the 'parental' type—they were always out doing whatever the hell they pleased, meaning I was stuck at home taking care of Ludwig. Not that I minded, of course, 'cause my baby bro is like, my life, man! He's awesome~" the pirate continued. "However, there came a day when my dear brother had to grow up. See, a few years ago, he took a trip to Italy, and it changed his life forever. While he was there, he met a young Italian, and they both fell _madly_ in love.

Ludwig returned to our home in Germany to retrieve his things and tell me goodbye; he decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with his new Italian boyfriend or whatever. According to his description, his little pasta-lover sounded much like _your_ little brother. 'Sweet, charming, kind, happy, carefree, a little dense sometimes, but that doesn't matter~' …Yeah. But my little brother and I parted ways, so that's when I made plans to go 'see the world.'"

"Aaaah…" Lovino said, pondering over Gilbert's words. "Ludwig… That name sounds _really_ familiar…"

Gilbert perked up.

"Really? Does it really?"

"Si… I…I know a Ludwig! Really tall…blonde hair…blue eyes…very muscular…"

The white-haired first mate's crimson eyes widened. He decided to wait until Lovino finished before he jumped to conclusions.

"His last name…what was his last name…?" the Italian wondered to himself. "Beil...something. Beilsmith? Beilshit? Beil…Beil….ah, I remember now, Beilschmidt! His name is Ludwig Beilschmidt!"

"That's him!" Gilbert cried. "That's him, that's my little brother! Intimidating fellow, right? Has a hard time expressing his emotions, right? Strict and serious, but has a big heart! That's Luddy! That's my baby brother!"

Lovino's jaw _dropped_. Gaping at the pirate, he managed to choke out, "N-n-n-no way…! Then…then _your_ brother is _my_ brother's _lover_! Holy shit…this is unreal…"

"This is awesome!" Gilbert chirped in his excitement. "_Now_ I understand why the name 'Feliciano' sounded so familiar to me! _Gott_, this is…wow! Just…just wow!"

The albino pirate laughed jovially, causing some members of the crew to look away from their duties and stare at the man. Blowing it off as a "Gilbert's having another one of his moments" situation, they all continued on with their tasks. Up at the helm, Lovino furrowed his eyebrows.

"It's not funny!" he snapped, the reality of the situation dawning on him. "By brother is in love with the brother of a bloodthirsty _pirate_! Who _knows_ what your…your potato-loving bastard of a little brother is doing to my Feli!"

"Whooooooa, there! Back up for just a second!" Gilbert said, his merry mood turning sour. "What do you _mean_ by that, huh? Just what exactly are you trying to say? Though I may be a pirate, Ludwig is too big-hearted and too law-abiding to even _consider_ doing the things I do! We're polar opposites, mind you, and from what I've seen, he's absolutely _smitten_ by your brother and wouldn't dare hurt a single hair on his head!"

Lovino started to get defensive. Ever since Ludwig came into the picture, Feliciano began to change.

"Ever since your _brother_ met mine, Feliciano's been acting weird! He's calmed down _dramatically_ and never gives anyone else a second thought unless there's some sort of problem! According to the letters I get from him, he stays at home most of the time now and focuses on nothing _but_ your brother! He's taken a liking to those _revolting_ potatoes of you German barbarians, and he's started using German sausage in a lot of his cooking! I don't like your _Ludwig's_ influence on Feliciano, damn it! I won't stand for it!"

"Number one," Gilbert growled, feeling irritated for the first time that day. "Do _not_ diss potatoes _or_ wurst. Number two, did you ever stop and think that your Feliciano might actually be _happy_? Love does that to people, you know. It changes them for the _better_. From the sounds of things, you have no grasp of the concept!"

Lovino was just about to bark that he did too, but he forced his words back into the depths of his throat. That was so long ago, and he wanted to forget all about it…

"W-well…" he stammered, slightly shaken. "I don't see how _you_ would know what love does to a person! From my point of view, it looks like _your brother_ is corrupting—"

"You don't know _anything_ about corruption!" Gilbert suddenly snapped, his crimson eyes ablaze with fury. "You don't know anything! I _know_ what love does to a person, and I know how much it hurts when it's taken from you!"

The Italian sat in shock, surprised by the albino's sudden outburst. He sat quietly and decided it was best to just listen to what the pirate had to say.

"You don't know…" the Prussian breathed. "I…was trying to forget all about it, but then you had to go and make me remember. Fuck! …Well, since you're listening and I already said it, I might as well tell you _that_ ugly detail of my awesome life story.

I had a lover once. He was Austrian, and I swear, the one definition you could fit _perfectly_ with him was _princess_. He was slightly conceited, but I guess that's why we believed we were perfect for each other, 'cause apparently I am too. He was an aristocrat, and he had a hard time smiling unless he was playing or listening to music, but whenever we were together…he'd…"

Lovino bit his lip as Gilbert closed his eyes and let out a shuddering sigh before continuing.

"He'd always give me…the most _beautiful_ smile… His amethyst eyes would sparkle whenever we were together, and his skin…oh, Gott… His skin was always so soft…his hand fit perfectly in mine… I've never been reduced to a state of such pathetic being in my _life_, but…whenever we were together…I _gladly_ threw away my pride, and I could tell he did, too. _That's_ how much we loved each other."

"O-oh…" Lovino said. "What…was his name?"

"Roderich…" Gilbert murmured, his voice aching with a longing nothing else would ever quench. "My blackbird…"

Though the young Italian lord wasn't particularly fond of Gilbert, he couldn't help the sympathy that filled his heart as the Prussian pirate shared his long-kept secret story. He could only imagine what the albino was going to reveal next in this…depressing portion of his life.

"He was the only one I had left after Ludwig left. I wasn't upset because I knew my brother would have to grow up and leave one day, but Roderich was there for me anyway. …He was always there…for everything… Well, one day I decided to take a trip to Spain—you know, one of those urges you get when you feel that you need to go out and 'find yourself.' …Roderich begged me not to go—not without taking him with, at least. Stupid me refused; I told him to wait for me, and that I would return after a couple weeks.

Well, little did I know that a 'couple weeks' would turn into nearly a whole goddamn _year_. I met up with Toni, and we hit it off right away. We became best buds, and we ended up having all sorts of 'adventures,' if you will. After awhile we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I returned to Roderich's house, only to find that I had been completely replaced…"

"Replaced…?"

"Ja…" Gilbert whispered, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. "He thought I left him, so our childhood friend from Hungary—her name's Elizabeta—seized the opportunity and swiped him from me in his time of need. I mean, I kinda deserved it because I didn't even keep in contact with him, but…when we saw each other…the way he _looked_ at me…

He…acted like he _hated_ me. …But I suppose I deserved it, huh? Aaaah…it sucks… I didn't cry when my parents died. I didn't cry when my brother left. Nothing in this world has _ever_ made me cry…except Roderich. After I walked outside his house, I swear I heard him crying on the other side of the door, and that's when I lost it. I swore that I'd never love another ever again. If I couldn't have Roderich, then I didn't want _anyone_."

The Prussian's crimson eyes were glossed over from the memory as he stared off at nothing, and Lovino felt a tug on his heartstrings.

"I…I'm sorry…" he murmured softly. "That's…"

"It's not your place to apologize," Gilbert stated, shaking his head. "It's my own fault and nobody else's. It's hard but…I guess I just have to deal, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

An awkward silence drifted between the two as Gilbert guided the ship towards its destination. Lovino sighed and looked off into the distance, but the only thing to see was the vast extent of ocean that stretched beyond the horizon. The scenery produced a sense of loneliness and yearning that nothing could ever extinguish; Lovino wondered if this was how Gilbert felt whenever he was out at sea. He wondered if this was how _Antonio_ felt…

'_Rrgh, what the hell am I thinking. I shouldn't even give that bastard a second thought,' _he inwardly sneered to himself.

"I wonder when Toni's gonna get out here and take the helm," Gilbert suddenly grumbled to himself. "I'm tired and I wanna go to sleep, like, _now_."

Lovino just snorted. Down below, however, it was as if Antonio had magically heard his friend's request, for he emerged from his quarters with an irritated scowl on his face and marched up the stairs towards the helm.

"Gilbert," he grumbled, ignoring the fact that his Italian prisoner was sitting slightly to the left of him. "Go take a siesta. I'll take over now."

"_Finally_!" the albino cheered with a grin. "She's all yours, pal~"

The Spaniard grunted in response and took hold of the wheel. Lovino immediately stood and dusted himself off.

"Well, since _you're_ here, I'm going back to the room and taking a nap myself," he stated, doing his best to avoid looking at the emerald-eyed captain.

"Heeey, that sounds like a swell idea!" Gilbert chirped. "Why don't we—"

"_Share a blanket with him_, Gilbert, and I'll see to it that your head is served to me on a platter," Antonio hissed in warning.

"Alright, alright, I get it, I get it! Sheesh, take it easy, man!" the Prussian cried, holding up his hands in defense. "I was just kidding!"

"Good."

Lovino growled and shook his head.

"Fuck you. _Both_ of you! I'm going to bed, damn it!"

With that said, he marched towards Antonio's quarters. He was just about to open the door, but a rough hand gripped his arm and stopped him from doing so.

"What the hell?" the Italian shrieked in rage, yanking his arm away from the scoundrel that _dared_ to touch him. "Why can't you fucking _pirates_ just leave me the hell alone?"

"I just wanted to get a look at ya before you left us, _sweetheart_," the revolting bandit crowed, smirking a bit. "You're such a pretty little thing, after all~"

"Yeah, well—"

The sound of gunfire pierced the air, interrupting Lovino from his oncoming rant. The pirate that had touched him toppled to the deck, a pool of blood forming around his lifeless body. The Italian gaped in shock and glanced towards the helm, only to see Antonio aiming his smoking pistol at the corpse. The entire crew stopped what they were doing and looked at their late crewmate before directing their attention to their captain.

"I thought it was made clear that _no one_ was to lay a single _finger_ on our guest," Antonio began, shoving the pistol back into its holster. Turning to Gilbert, he said, "I thought you informed everyone."

"I did!" the Prussian argued. "Right after you went into your quarters to…y-yeah… Anyway, I informed everyone! I guess _someone _wasn't listening."

"Hn, perhaps. But I'm going to say it again to make it _official_. Alright, listen and listen good, 'cause your lives depend on this _valuable_ piece of advice. You see this man? The one standing right there?" Antonio pointed a finger at Lovino. "For those of you who _don't_ know, his name is Lovino Vargas. He is our _personal guest_; therefore we must treat him as such. All of you will obey this order, or you'll end up like José here. This is it: _nobody_—absolutely _no one_—is allowed to touch Señor Vargas. Not even a single _finger _is to be laid on his head! Anyone who thinks it would be cute or funny to defy this order will have to deal with _me_, and I think we all know what _that _means."

A heavy silence lingered about the members of the crew, signaling that everyone understood _exactly_ what Captain Carriedo meant. Lovino continued to gape at the Spaniard, still trying to comprehend what the _hell_ just happened. Antonio only smirked.

"Throw the body overboard!" he shouted. "It'll make a fitting meal for the sharks."

A couple crewmembers moved to carry out the deed and hoisted José's body over the edge of the ship; the corpse hit the water with a bloodcurdling "smack." Lovino watched as the body bobbed up and down with the tiny waves for a moment before turning away in disgust. He did his best to keep the contents of his stomach down, but that didn't stop the sudden wave of dizziness that washed over him. Feeling nauseous and slightly anxious, he quickly stumbled into Antonio's quarters and slammed the doors. Outside at the helm, Antonio sighed and shook his head.

"I _hate_ when my crew thinks it's cute to challenge me," he mumbled, massaging his temple with his fingers. "Nothing pisses me off more than when I have to kill off one of my own men."

"Hey, it happens," Gilbert said with a shrug. "It just shows where everyone's loyalties lie."

"True…"

"Anyway, I'm gonna go lay down for a bit now~"

"Yeah, you do that," the Spanish pirate chuckled, patting his friend on the shoulder. "I'll be up here. Have a great siesta~"

"Oh, don't worry, I _shall_~" the Prussian replied. "See you in a few hours~"

"Of course~"

That said, Gilbert retreated to his own quarters. Once he was gone, Antonio sighed again and stared off into the horizon. Though nothing brought him more joy than steering his ship on the vast expanse of ocean and everything that came with it, he just didn't feel right. But of course, he knew the reason why—he had defied his own morals (despite the fact than most of them died off after his father was killed) and _raped_ a man. True, he was a pirate—bloodthirsty, unforgiving, dishonest, conniving, and merciless—but he always frowned upon rape. He didn't care if he killed a man, he didn't care if he stole from the poor, he didn't care if he deceived many just to profit from their daftness, and he _especially_ didn't care if he stabbed his own allies in the back just to save his own skin, but if there was one thing he absolutely _loathed_, it was taking another's body without the their consent.

'_Then why the hell did you do it in the first place?' _a voice screamed in the back of his mind. _'There's no justification in your sin!'_

No, there's not…

'_Why _did_ I do it…?' _the emerald-eyed man thought. _'I…this is just…'_

Yes, he may have been a pirate, but he was still human, which meant that there was still _some_ conscience left within him, regardless of the fact that it had faded to the point of barely being there to begin with.

'_God…please forgive me…'_

With that thought in mind, he gripped the rosary around his neck, closed his eyes, and said a silent prayer—a prayer of repentance, a prayer guidance, and above all, a prayer of desperate need for answers locked away within the depths of his heart.

**~Continuará~**

_Raaargh, I know, the ending is kinda lame—I got lazy, sorry~ Anyway, yaaay, more back stories~ NOW the fun can begin, yaaaay~_

_And just so everyone knows, I hope no one took the Elizabeta thing as bashing, because I love Hungary to PIECES-she's one of my favorites! I just needed to use her as a logical approach to some hardcore drama in Gil's life! Every character that is/will be mentioned I love more than anything!  
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_Oh, and before anyone says ANYTHING about "explaining too much," let me tell you this: the explanations and back stories are being used as a type of foreshadowing. You'll see what I mean in future chapters~ _

_But that being said…until next chapter~! :D (Reviews are greatly appreciated, but that's up to you!)  
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	8. Chapter Six

**Capítulo Seis**

Lovino sighed as he stared at the ceiling from his position on Antonio's bed. He wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed since the previous commotion with that idiot pirate who managed to get himself killed, but he estimated that at least three hours had passed, if not more. As the seconds continued to tick by, the Italian slowly began to feel a painful burning sensation in his stomach…and then it growled.

"Rrrgh…damn it…I'm hungry…" he grumbled, turning onto his side. "If that bastard doesn't feed me soon, I'm gonna kill him, just like he wanted. …Hn, what a jackass… I hate him so fucking much…"

Lovino continued to ramble on, seeing on how there was nothing better to do. He didn't want to explore the ship because of all the asshole pirates that loved to harass him, and he _especially_ didn't want to be anywhere _near_ that bastard Antonio. The man was insane, and Lovino was already sick of dealing with his mentally disturbed ass. He was certain that if he saw the Spaniard again, he'd grant him his wish: he'd _murder_ him.

'_But I can't kill him when he _wants _me to…'_ he thought. _'I'd just be letting him have his way, and I _refuse_ to let him have it anymore. Pathetic bastard. Just because he has a fucked-up past, it doesn't give him the right to take his anger out on other people. Especially _me_, damn it!'_

Lovino continued to stew. With each angry thought that passed through his mind, the more devious schemes he came up. He was tempted to commit homicide, especially after all the pirate captain had put him through. The man deserved to die, he knew, and maybe sending him to Hell wasn't such a bad idea. He _did_ belong there, after all.

"Cazzo pirata…" the young lord seethed, his blood boiling. "The more I think about him, the angrier I get…"

His stomach abruptly made another noise to indicate that it was empty, and Lovino sighed.

"Fine, fine, I'll go talk to the asshole…" he muttered, patting his tummy. "I'll make him feed you. He owes us that much."

Sighing once again, he crawled off the bed and trekked to the door. Slinging it open, he marched outside and hiked up the stairs to the helm. Antonio stared at his guest in surprise, and a sly smirk began to spread across his lips.

"And what can I do for you, Señor Vargas? You look like you want something~"

"Damn right I do, jackass," the Italian spat. "Feed me. _Now_."

"You are in no position to order me to do _anything_ for you, my good sir. You are my prisoner, after all, and I will not hesitate to cut out your tongue for speaking to me in such a manner," the captain warned, eyeing his captive dangerously.

"Hmph, I think you owe me at _least_ a decent meal. You _did_ rape me, after all."

Antonio stiffened and bit his lip at the mention of his greatest sin. Allowing a shuddering sigh to escape his lips, he whispered, "There's food below deck. Dinner will be ready within the next couple hours for you and I."

"That's all I needed to know," Lovino responded, pivoting on his heel in order to search for something to satisfy his appetite.

"Join me for dinner in my quarters," Antonio quickly said. "I wish to discuss some things with you. It's not a request."

"I'll think about it," the Italian muttered over his shoulder starkly as he trudged away.

'_The nerve of that bastard…' _he thought, clenching his teeth. _'What does he think this is, some kind of game? Pah! I hope a storm hits and wrecks this stupid ship. I hope that jackass gets struck by lightning or something…'_

As he continued to vent to himself, Lovino made his way below deck. Several crewmembers ceased their duties to stare at their captain's prisoner, but not a soul dared to lift a finger toward him. After all, the wrath of Captain Carriedo wasn't something to be taken lightly, and no one wanted to suffer the same fate as their unfortunate companion.

"And just what the hell are you barbarians staring at?" Lovino snapped, noticing that he was being watched. "If you jackasses are gonna stare, you might as well make yourselves useful and point me in the direction of food!"

One pirate felt his patience wear thin; there was _no way_ he was going to allow himself to be ordered around by some spoiled little Italian _brat_.

"Just who th' hell do ya think yer talkin' to?" he hissed. Walking over to the young lord, he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and continued, "Ya sure have a buncha nerve comin' down here and runnin' yer mouth like that, orderin' us around 'n' all. D'ya have any idea who yer messin' with?"

Lovino stared at the brute for a moment, unfazed by anything he had previously said. Instead, he furrowed his eyebrows, clenched his fists, and—with one swift, powerful movement—struck the man in the jaw. The sheer force of the blow caused the pirate to topple to the floor in an unconscious heap. Lovino snorted and kicked him in the side, all the while bending down to retrieve the pistol attached to the man's hip.

Pointing the weapon in the direction of the other crewmembers, he cocked it and bluntly grumbled, "I am fucking _hungry_. I want food. _Now_."

The crew stared in shock for a brief moment before a scrawny bloke stepped forward.

"I-I'll lead you to the grub, sir…" he said. "Please, follow me!"

"That's more like it…" the Italian muttered, lowering the pistol and following the pirate.

"Here y'are, sir! Choose anything you want!"

Lovino clicked his tongue and began to rummage through various crates. To his dismay, everything he came across made him cringe. Scrunching his nose and looking away in disgust, he cried, "Schifoso! There's no way I'm eating this crap! What kind of sick joke is your _captain_ trying to pull?"

"Umm…"

"Fuck, guess I'm stuck waiting for another couple goddamn hours! I bet he planned this all along! What a jackass!"

The scrawny pirate only listened to the raging Italian's musings, his eyes wide with both awe and fear. Never before had he witnessed such a spectacle, and he knew that he had seen more than most people!

"That's it. I'm gonna go take a siesta. Not like there's anything better to do anyway," Lovino muttered.

Without another word, Lovino marched back onto the deck. Antonio watched him emerge, and a playful grin graced his lips when he saw his prisoner's disgruntled expression.

"What's the matter, Señor Vargas~?" he shouted. "Didn't you find anything to satisfy your hunger~?"

Lovino stared at him and snarled. His hand tightly clenched the pistol in its grasp, but he kept it at his side. Despite the fact that he wanted nothing more than to actually shoot the emerald-eyed devil, he knew that any rash action would get him killed—or worse. Instead, he took a deep breath, exhaled through his nostrils, and spat, "You're a dirty bastard and I'm going to bed."

"I take that as a 'no,' then~"

"Fuck you!"

That being said, the Italian stomped back into the captain's quarters. Antonio chuckled and shook his head.

"Ah, the Italian palate~ It's so fun to mess with, no~?"

(~!~)

After about an hour of tossing and turning on the bed, Lovino came to the conclusion that he just couldn't sleep. He was irritated, anxious, and now officially _starving_; it was _really_ starting to piss him off even _more_. All he wanted to do was eat. He didn't want to talk to that bastard Antonio, he didn't want to socialize with the rest of the crew… To put it quite frankly, he didn't really want to do _anything_ except eat. With that thought in mind, he came up with a possible solution to his dilemma: once he finished eating, he'd be able to doze off into blissful slumber in no time. Yes, he was _sure_ that his grumbling stomach was the cause of his restlessness. What other explanation did he need?

'_Hopefully that's what my problem is, because I'm exhausted…' _he thought, hugging his pillow. _'…Damn it, hurry up, bastard… Feed me before I kill something…' _

As if right on cue, a knock on the door was heard. Lovino sat up and stared for a moment before said door swung open. Antonio walked inside, two plates full of food balanced perfectly in his hands.

"Alright, Lovino, our food is finally ready~" he chimed gaily, taking a seat next to his captive. "Hope you like marinated salmon~"

"Hn, as long as it's not potatoes, I don't give a shit what it is," the Italian sneered, taking his plate and shoveling the salmon into his mouth. In his opinion, it tasted like heaven, but he wasn't going to admit that out loud any time soon.

"How about some wine?" Antonio offered. "It's authentic wine straight from my country. Only the best~"

"Dream on," Lovino snorted. "Italian wine is the best. You and your cheap Spanish wine can go take a dive off a cliff."

"Aw, now that huuuuurt!" the pirate whined, pouting a bit. It was one thing to call _him_ names, but insulting his country's products was a hit below the belt!

"Yeah, whatever. Stop pouting, you look even more stupid than you already are."

Antonio sighed at the snide comment and ran a hand through his hair. Glancing at his prisoner, he dropped his silly façade and muttered, "Look, all jesting and malicious remarks aside, I wasn't lying when I told you I wanted to speak with you. It's important, okay?"

"Then hurry up and start talking," Lovino snapped, swallowing the last bite of his meal. "The last thing I wanna do is speak to you and keep staring at your face."

"It's about…what happened earlier…"

Lovino temporarily tensed as the memories came flooding back. For a brief moment a twinge of fear engulfed his senses, resulting in a slight rush of adrenaline. He wanted to break for the door, but he held himself back—something inside his heart told him that there would not be a repeat of the previous gruesome moments that shook his very existence. No, something seemed…_different_. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what, but something deep down told him that something was slightly off.

"Firstly, I would like to apologize…" Antonio continued, peering straight into the Italian lord's hazel orbs. "I know that no amount of apologies could ever make up for what I have done, but I want you to know that I _truly_ regret my actions."

Several seconds of absolute silence passed before the young lord chuckled bitterly and shook his head.

"You…think that your words comfort me…?" he asked with a trembling voice. "You think that just because you have the gall to _apologize_ and tell me how much you _regret_…that it's going to make everything better…? Well, you're _wrong_! You're _fucking_ wrong! You kidnap me, you hold me prisoner, you threaten to kill me, you rape me, and _now_ you think things will be all grand and brilliant just because you decide to apologize? I won't stand for this!"

Antonio hung his head and closed his eyes. Exhaling deeply, he acknowledged the Italian's anger and restrained his own. After all, the man had every right to be angry with him—he had every right to _hate_ him. The crimes he committed against his captive were unforgivable, he knew, and he was smart enough to know that asking for forgiveness was out of the question.

"I don't wanna talk about this anymore," Lovino growled, tempted to remove the gun he stole earlier and just shoot the Spaniard in the face. "Just…leave me alone. I'm tired of this crap."

"Is that…what you truly wish for me to do…?" the emerald-eyed pirate asked, gazing forlornly at his captive.

"If I didn't mean it, I wouldn't have said it, _jackass_! Just get out of here or let me out of here or _something_! You are the _last_ person I would _ever_ want to see! _Ever_!"

Antonio sighed and stood. He knew he was fighting a losing battle at the moment, and he had enough common sense left to know that it was useless to try and push the situation any further. In fact, he _really_ didn't feel like getting angry or anything of the likes, and he _especially_ didn't want the current situation to result in something ten times worse. Honestly, he didn't want to hurt Lovino anymore. Something inside just told him that it wasn't right, and that Lovino was…_special_ somehow. He wasn't quite sure what "special" exactly_ was_, but he knew that there was something about the Italian that made him feel _human_ again.

"Alright, I'll leave…" he said. "I'll be at the helm, if you need anything."

"Like I'll need anything from _you_," Lovino sneered, glaring at his captor with intense loathing. "The only thing I _need_ is for you to _die_."

"…Of course, Señor Vargas…"

Without another word, the captain took his leave. Once he was outside, he closed the door and leaned against it. He sighed once again and clamped his eyes shut, all the while trying to ignore the painful sensations in his chest.

"What's going on…?" he breathed, opening his eyes and gazing off toward the sunset. "…What…is this bizarre feeling…?"

**~Continuará~**

_Phew! Finished! Sorry I left you guys hanging for so long! After chapter five I fell into a writer's slump and just…yeah, it was REALLY difficult to write this chapter! But it's done, yay! :D Anyway, I hope you guys liked it~ I…really don't like how this chapter turned out for some reason… Ah well, it's done and that's all that matters! Now I can rest easy~_

_And now, this gringa is gonna go get herself a pumpkin spice latte, and then she's going to sit down and start working on chapter seven, yaaaaaay~! So…until next chapter~! ;D_

_Oh! And before I forget! I'm totally thinking about writing a side-story for our beloved Gilbert and his wonderful tale, but I'm not sure yet! What do you guys think? _


	9. Chapter Seven

**Capítulo Siete **

Lovino couldn't sit still. He was feeling relatively restless ever since dinner, and now the restlessness soared to a level that was ten times worse. He wanted to get out of the room and wander around for a bit, but he _really_ wasn't in the mood to deal with pirates. However, pacing back and forth in the captain's quarters didn't exactly help his predicament—he needed a change of scenery, if anything! The same four walls were starting to irritate him, and the creaking and groaning of the ship certainly didn't appeal to his musical taste. He couldn't deny it: he was bored and needed to do _something_.

'_But what?'_ he thought. _'What else _is_ there to do on this damn slave ship?'_

With a disgruntled sigh, the young Italian lord plopped onto the bed and shoved his face into a pillow. If that bastard Antonio didn't kill him first, he was sure the lack of entertainment _would_. Had he been at home in Italy, he would have thrown a party—a party filled with music and dancing, as well as all the food you could eat and all the wine you could possibly drink. Lovino's parties were quite renowned throughout Naples, and _everyone_ looked forward to them. It didn't matter if one was noble or if they were part of the lowest social standing; Lovino invited anyone and everyone all the same.

'_Damn it… I'd _kill_ to throw a party right now. Dancing sounds wonderful… Especially with a really pretty girl… Like last time~ Aaah…what was her name again? Isabella? Or was it Mirabella…? I can't remember! All I remember is that she was super cute—and Spanish…but that's not important, damn it!'_

"Damn it…" he grumbled aloud, his words muffled by the pillow. "What do I doooo…?"

Silence thickened throughout the room, causing Lovino to close his eyes in order to take a quick siesta, but the soft chords of a mandolin being played caught his attention. It was rather pleasant to listen to, so he sat up to listen better. The desire to just watch and listen to the instrument burned within his soul, and without another thought he stood and curiously walked outside.

Antonio sat against the starboard-most gunwale, his eyes closed and a slight smile on his face as his fingers skillfully plucked the strings of his mandolin. The soothing lyrics of a romantic Spanish song vibrated through his vocal chords as he sang; Lovino couldn't help but shutter upon hearing the rich, entrancing tone of the pirate's (unbelievably) beautiful voice.

At the helm, Gilbert observed the Italian in amusement. Snickering to himself, he shouted, "Oi, Captain! Looks to me like you have an admirer~"

Antonio lazily opened his eyes and stopped singing to see what his first mate was talking about. Upon seeing Lovino, his fingers ceased their strumming, and his smile twisted into a slight smirk.

"Well, well, if it isn't Señor Vargas!" he chimed merrily. "What a pleasant surprise~ From the look on your face, I assume that you're enjoying the show?"

Lovino stiffened and furrowed his eyebrows.

"A-as if!" he stammered, feeling his face flush a bit. "I just came out to see what all that racket was!"

"I see, I see! Well why don't you join us? It's a beautiful night, no?"

"Like hell I'd join you bastards! I-I'm going to bed, damn it!"

Antonio chuckled and placed his mandolin to the side. With a slight groan, he stood up and sauntered over to his prisoner.

"What a shame," he said, smiling a bit as he peered into the face of the fiery Italian. "And here I was hoping that tonight I'd finally gain the dance partner that I've been searching for."

Lovino's face began to burn. Snorting and forcing himself to turn away from the (attractive) pirate captain, he sneered, "L-like hell I'd ever dance with you, jackass! Who says I'm a dancer _anyway_? What if I _can't_ dance, huh? What if I hate it? Don't automatically assume that your hostages like dancing, or that they even _can_ for that matter! Sheesh! The world doesn't revolve around _you_, y'know, no matter what you think! Bastard!"

With that said, he turned away from the Spaniard.

"Okay, okay!" Antonio cried, holding up his hands. "I just thought I should attempt to actually be _nice_ to you, but if you don't want me to, I won't push it. I just…I dunno…I just feel _different_ with you around, y'know? There's something about you that makes me feel more _human_, and…yeah… I know you hate me, and I know you're never gonna forgive me for what I've done to you, but I at least want to make an attempt at…I dunno…softening your heart, I guess. I wanna show you that I actually _do_ have a soft side or whatever. But I understand if you won't ever open up to me. I don't blame you. But I'm just throwing this out there again: I truly _do_ regret…"

"Just…stop talking…" Lovino muttered, clenching his fists. "Your voice _really_ pisses me off. I hate you so much that I still wanna kill you, but…" He paused to sigh. Turning back to face his captor, he continued, "But…I guess dancing won't be so bad. I need something to do, and since there's nothing else to do _anyway_, I might as well blow off some steam by dancing."

Antonio's emerald eyes glimmered with happiness for a brief moment before they softened to a playful gleam. Smirking a tiny bit, he slyly said, "I thought you didn't dance~?"

"Of course I can dance, asshole!" the young lord shouted. "I was trying to teach you a fucking lesson earlier, damn it! I was telling you not to assume shit about other people! I'm the goddamn ruler of Southern Italy, damn it, so of course I know how to fucking dance! What kind of dumbass noble would I be if I _didn't_? _Jackass_!"

The Spanish pirate laughed jovially for the first time in years. He never expected to laugh out of sheer amusement and _happiness_ ever again, so of course he was startled by this occurrence. Apparently he wasn't the only one startled, for Lovino gawked at him. On the poop deck, Gilbert choked on his spit upon witnessing his friend laugh _cheerfully_ for the first time in such a long time. The rest of the crew seemed just as flabbergasted, for they all paused to stare at their captain. Antonio instantly noticed this and quickly regained control of himself.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he turned around and barked, "And just what the hell is everybody staring at? Did I give permission for everyone to stop what they were doing? Get back to work!"

The crew immediately resumed their duties. The Spaniard snorted and rolled his eyes before directing his attention back to the Italian.

"Anyway…shall we dance, then?" he asked, cracking a tiny smile.

"Ugh, _fine_," Lovino grumbled, trying to suppress another blush (and failing). "What music are we dancing to? We need music to dance, idiot."

"Aaah, sí, that's right! Music… Emilio! You're a decent mandolin player, right?"

"Aye, sir!" Emilio replied, answering from across the hull. Making his way over, he added, "I've played a bit in my day."

"Excellent~ Then I have a new job for you. Grab my mandolin and play the background music as Señor Vargas and I dance."

"Aye, Captain. Anything in particular you want me to play?"

"Mm…" Antonio paused to think as he eyed down Lovino. Nodding a bit, he replied, "Yeah. Start it off slow…almost romantic-like…and then slowly ease into a more _passionate_ tempo. Add some spice to it, get what I'm sayin'?"

"Of course, sir," Emilio confirmed. "I can do that."

"Excellent~ Then let us get started, yeah?"

"Aye, sir!"

Without further ado, Emilio walked over to the gunwale and made himself comfortable. Picking up the mandolin, he began to play a soft melody in a suitable manner that the Captain had requested. Antonio nodded in satisfaction as he listened before turning to his dance partner.

"Shall we dance?" he asked.

Lovino snorted.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get this over with."

Antonio only chuckled and positioned Lovino. Smiling fondly, he took a couple steps, and soon he began to lead the Italian in a simple two-step. Lovino followed along, but more obligatory than willingly. To him, the dance was boring and the music was too slow—he wanted to _dance_, not spin around in circles!

After several minutes of playing in a sweet adagio tempo, Emilio began to accelerando into passionate allegro. Antonio smirked a bit and pulled Lovino close, their bodies tightly pressed against each other. Lovino exhaled deeply and closed his eyes; the music started to invade his senses, and soon he found himself moving freely with the Spaniard in swift, fervent movements.

Antonio spun Lovino a couple times before pulling him close again—Lovino jumped on the opportunity to sling his left leg across the pirate's hip. The Spanish captain smirked a bit and dipped his partner. Lovino closed his eyes and tilted his head back, a shuddering sigh escaping his lips as Antonio leaned forward to barely graze his Adam's apple with his lips. Once he was pulled back into a dancing position, Lovino pressed against the pirate and moved with him, their hips grinding passionately together in time with the music. Their feet stepped lightly and quickly with the rhythm, and a spark slowly started to ignite within both partners. Two pairs of legs would intertwine, then release, then intertwine again as the music overcame the bodies of both pirate captain and Italian lord.

Lovino grinned slightly as Antonio lifted him into the air and spun him around. Once he returned to the ground, he continued to step in time with the beat of Emilio's mandolin playing, Antonio moving perfectly with him. Antonio licked his lips and moved his hands to Lovino's hips. The Italian smirked slightly and rocked his hips to the beat, enjoying the look of pure enthrallment displayed across his captor's face. With graceful skill, Lovino pressed against Antonio once again, only this time he began to run his hands along the pirate's broad chest. Antonio shuddered at the contact and closed his eyes. Slipping his arms around the young lord's lithe waist, he held him in place and swayed in time with the music.

"You're a wonderful dancer…" he murmured in Lovino's ear.

"Mm…you haven't seen _anything_ yet…" Lovino replied, albeit a bit overconfidently. "Care to see more?"

"_Please_…"

The Italian grinned and pulled away from his partner to dance on his own. Gazing at Antonio seductively, he swayed with the music and took his time to _easily_ move his hands along his body. Antonio froze and watched in awe as his hotheaded prisoner danced; for some reason, his heart palpitated within his chest, and everything about Lovino could only be described as pure _magic_. He wasn't exactly sure what he was feeling, but for this moment he could care less. Instead, he focused on the man in front of him and watched in fascination.

Lovino smirked to himself—if there was one thing he could pride himself on, it was the fact that he could _dance_. When he moved, there wasn't a single person he didn't leave gaping in wonder; the proof was the Spaniard in front of him (as well as the rest of the crew, who once again abandoned their posts just to watch). For the moment, the captain was under _his_ spell and in the palm of _his_ hand. This was _his_ moment, _his_ time, and _his_ chance to assert _his_ authority. When it came to dancing, everything belonged to _Lovino_.

With a playful smile, the Italian paused his dancing to outstretch his hand and coax his partner over with his index finger. Antonio swallowed the lump in his throat and staggered over, completely smitten over the hazel-eyed beauty before him. Breathing shallowly, he pulled his partner close and they once again danced passionately together. At one point, Antonio took it upon himself to dip Lovino a second time, only this time Lovino was control, for he wrapped both his legs around the pirate's waist and threw one arm across the back of his neck. With his free hand, Lovino cupped Antonio's cheek and leaned forward.

With his lips just millimeters apart from Antonio's, he softly whispered, "How do you feel…?"

"I feel…" Antonio paused to swallow another lump. "I-I feel…that you're a _really_ good dancer…"

"Oh…? Is that all~?"

"N-no, you're an _amazing_ dancer…" the pirate corrected, frozen in place as his prisoner remained wrapped around him. "I…I want to do this more…"

"Mmm, I see~" Lovino purred, feeling smug and quite proud of himself. "You're not that bad of a dancer yourself, _Antonio._"

Antonio's breath hitched as his name escaped the Italian's lips. Trembling ever so slightly, he moved to seal their lips together in a kiss, but Lovino's hand put a stop to it before it even began.

"Ah-ah~" the young lord cooed. "We're _dancing_."

"Right…right… Dancing…"

Lovino untangled himself from the Spaniard, and they both resumed their zealous dance. Several more minutes passed, and Emilio's song was slowly coming to an end. Antonio held Lovino close as they swayed together. His heart was pounding ferociously and his body felt like it was on fire. He felt as high as the sky, and no words could describe his current emotions except for that they felt _amazing_.

Moving his hands slowly along the Italian's sides, he rested his head atop his partner's dark auburn locks and whispered, "Señor Vargas…no…_Lovino_… I…I need to get to know you better… Please…please, Lovino…can we…start over…? I _need_ to get to know you… I want to spend more time with you…"

"Do you really mean that…?" Lovino murmured softly, leaning into the pirate. "Truly…?"

"I swear on the graves of both my father _and_ my mother that I'd like nothing more than that…"

"_Honestly_…?"

"I _swear_…"

"Mm…" Lovino closed his eyes and smiled. Pulling away from the Spaniard, he studied his face and clicked his tongue in thought. Still smiling, he gently touched his fingertips to the pirate's cheek and whispered, "You know what I say to that…?"

"What…?" Antonio breathed, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch.

"I say…" Lovino abruptly withdrew his hand, and his smile instantly contorted into a grimace. Glaring at his captor, he hardened his heart and venomously spat, "_Over my dead body._"

And just like that, he turned around and stormed back into the captain's quarters, slamming the door behind him. Antonio stared at the door for a moment before he sank to his knees, his heart crumbling into a million pieces.

**~Continuará~**

_Hoooly balls, I am so sorry it's taken me forever to update! A bunch of crap has come up and it's made it difficult to write, plus it gives me writer's block, and it's not fun! But I'll keep trying to update A.S.A.P.! Ending on that note, I hope everyone had a happy Halloween (I know I did~)! And if you don't celebrate Halloween, then I hope that your October 31__st__ was just as enjoyable anyway~ _

…_Poor Toni. I had a ton of fun writing this chapter! Sorry if the dance scene sucks; I can't dance to save my life, so I just…yeah, I winged the whole scene. OTL But anyway, thanks for all y'all taking the time to read! It makes me so happy knowing that you guys actually like this story! ^^~ _

_So…until next chapter~! ;D_


	10. Chapter Eight

**Capítulo Ocho**

"You can't keep moping forever, you know."

Antonio just shrugged and kept his gaze on the sea, his hands clasped tightly around the handles of the helm. The last thing he needed was a lecture from his first mate, so he figured it was best to just shrug the Prussian off.

"Okay, y'know what? Fine. Don't listen to me. Don't listen to Gilbert, I understand. Here I am trying to help you out, but if you wanna be stubborn that's _fine_ by me," Gilbert grumbled, pacing the boards of the poop deck.

"Do we _have_ to talk about this?" Antonio groaned. "I already hurt enough as is, but do we have to relive the humiliation, too?"

"Getting burned makes you stronger," the albino replied, crossing his arms and stopping to stare at the back of the Spanish captain's head.

"Ha! Says the man who still cries at night over his ex-lover!"

"_That_ is _completely _different!" Gilbert snapped, his blood starting to boil in anger. "I loved my Roderich with everything I had, only to lose him because of my own damn stupidity! _You_, _Herr Carriedo_, _let_ yourself get played! Did you honestly think Lovino was gonna let you in his pants just because of one dance?"

"…Cállate..."

"Did you really think you found love? Did you think that he was 'the one?' Did you _really_, Antonio?" the Prussian continued, suppressing the urge to punch his friend in the face. "Do you honestly think he'll love you after all you've done to him?"

"Shut up!" Antonio shouted, breaking away from the helm to unsheathe his rapier.

As soon as he released the handles, the helm began to broach, causing the entire ship to jerk to the right. The captain and his Prussian first mate toppled to the floor, as well as the crewmen working the main deck. With a shout, the Spaniard scrambled to his feet and flung himself at the wheel, using all his strength to regain control of the massive ship. After a brief struggle, Antonio regained control of his precious vessel.

"Thank God…" he breathed, shaking his head. "Oh, thank you, Lord… Thank you…"

"You tomato-loving _Eselhengst_!" Gilbert screeched, standing from his previous position on the deck. "You almost capsized the ship! You could've killed us all!"

"Shut your mouth, Prussian!" the Spaniard hissed, furious. "If you hadn't egged me on, none of this would've happened!"

"You know what? Your little _comment_ certainly didn't—"

"Captain!"

"_What_, Emilio?" Antonio seethed, containing his rage. "I'm having an important conversation with _Señor Beilschmidt_."

"Captain…" Emilio huffed in exhaustion. "We lost Manuel…"

Emerald eyes widened in dismay.

"What…?"

"A-aye, sir… When the ship lost control…he fell from the crow's nest and toppled to his death…"

"_God_ in _Heaven_..." Antonio sighed and massaged his temple. He closed his eyes and said a quick prayer, Gilbert and Emilio joining him. After he concluded, he reluctantly instructed, "Throw him overboard…"

"Aye, Captain…"

"Gilbert, take the wheel. I'm going to bed."

"Hn, sure. Guten nacht, I guess," the albino muttered, taking the helm.

"Yeah, yeah…"

With that, Antonio descended down the short flight of stairs leading from the poop deck to the main deck and headed toward his quarters. Inside said quarters, Lovino silently fumed—whatever the hell happened outside threw him off the bed and woke him from his surprisingly peaceful siesta. Whoever was responsible for that little _mishap_ was going to pay. Oh, they were going to pay _dearly_.

The door swung open and Antonio trudged inside. As soon as the Italian's eyes landed on him, said Italian stiffened in defense.

"What the hell just happened?" he spat, folding his arms over his chest in an annoyed pout. "It felt like we just got hit by the wrath of God!"

"I made a stupid mistake and lost control of the ship," Antonio grumbled, removing his coat, hat, and boots. "Lost my damn rapier, too, so Gilbert owes me a new one. Scoot over, I'm going to bed."

"So you're the one responsible for waking me up? Oh, you _jackass_, just wait 'til I—mmph!"

"Just…stop talking…" Antonio grumbled, his hand clamped tightly over his prisoner's mouth. "I'm _really_ not in the mood for this right now. In fact, I'm not really in the mood to speak to you _anyway_, so I'm just going to—OW!"

Lovino sank his teeth further into the pirate's palm, his aura radiating with rage. He spat off to the side when the Spaniard yanked his hand away, then he turned to glare. Antonio gnashed his teeth in fury as he glowered back at the Italian.

"You little pampered _brat_!" he seethed. "How dare you bite me? What the hell was that even for, anyway?"

"Do _not_ put your goddamn disgusting hands on my mouth, you _barbaro_!" Lovino shouted in defiance, not planning on losing this argument. "Just who the hell do you think you are?"

"SHUT UP!"

The feisty Italian's mouth instantly clamped shut at the pirate's violent outburst. He may have liked to fight and make his captor's life miserable, but even he knew when it was time to stop talking; the last thing he wanted was a repeat of that horrible night…

"Just shut up…" Antonio breathed, cradling his face in his uninjured palm. Clenching his eyes shut, he continued, "I'm so sick of this… I'm so sick of this…! I'm sick of you, I'm sick of those _idiots_ out there… I'm just sick of it all…!"

Lovino only swallowed and willed himself to listen.

"Just _looking_ at you _hurts_…" the Spanish captain muttered, trembling slightly. "And I don't even _know_ why! I'm _trying_ to make everything I've done to you up. Really, I am, but you're not _letting_ me! Do you have any idea how _horrible_ I feel…? I'm going to be plagued with this wretched feeling for the rest of my pathetic life, and it gets worse with each passing second I look at you! I can scream it at you until I'm blue in the face, but I know you won't listen! But here, I'll scream it again: I'm sorry! I'm sorry for raping you, I'm sorry for kidnapping you, I'm sorry for _hurting_ you! Just…for the love of _God_, I'm _sorry_…"

After concluding his passionate apology, Antonio buried his face in his hand and continued to tremble. With a shuddering sigh, he slumped against the wall and slid to the floor. Choking a bit, he continued to tremble, and fresh, crystalline tears streamed down his cheeks. Lovino gazed in shock at the spectacle before him. Honestly, he was expecting _anything_ from the pirate—anything except _this_…

"M-my heart _burns_…" Antonio breathed, his face still covered. "And before you spit out one of your unnecessary _smartass comments_…I-I _do_ have a heart, believe it or not. It may be pitch black and made of stone, but it's _there_, damn it…!"

"H-hey…I wasn't going to say that…" Lovino muttered softly, not knowing _how_ to feel about the situation.

"And you crushed it when you just _rejected_ me after that d-dance…!" the Spaniard whispered, uncovering his face to stare at the young Italian lord. "I don't even know why. Gilbert…G-Gilbert assumes that I'm infatuated with you…and personally, I think he's right…"

"…What."

"You heard what I said!" Antonio snapped, a halfhearted glare creeping to his face. Lowering his voice, he repeated, "You heard what I said. I suppose…there _is_ some sort of…_attraction_ towards you…"

Lovino was stunned. Just what the hell was he supposed to say to _that_?

"Er…"

Antonio chuckled and help up a hand. Wiping his tears away with the other, he said, "Don't say anything. This feeling will pass. I think it's just loneliness that's been building up for years. I've gone this long without someone, and I can continue. The only thing I need is _sleep_…"

"…Sure, whatever makes you happy…" Lovino muttered, crawling off the bed. "I'll just go out there, then."

"Fine, fine, do whatever you want," Antonio replied, flopping onto the bed. "…Gracias."

"…You're welcome…"

Without further ado, Lovino left the room and headed up to the poop deck. Upon reaching his destination, Gilbert turned his head to look at him.

"Ah, long time no chit-chat~" he chimed with a slight grin. "What's up?"

"…Does your captain like me?" Lovino asked bluntly, staring at the Prussian first mate. "He basically _kind of_ admitted it, but does he _really_?"

"What, are you kidding?" Gilbert laughed. "He's _smitten_! You could tell by the look on his face the entire time when he invited you to dance with him. 'Like' is an understatement!"

Lovino felt his cheeks grow hot. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he managed to squeak out a simple, "…Oh."

"Yeeeeah. Anyway, what brings you out here? I thought you preferred to stay in the room and not socialize with us."

"…The Spaniard wanted to sleep, so I decided to leave him alone…"

"I see, I see. …Do _you_ like him?"

"What?" the Italian cried in outrage, his hazel eyes wide and his cheeks flushed crimson. "W-what kind of stupid fucking question is that? Of course not!"

"Hmm, so you claim~" Gilbert replied smugly, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. "But if you say so, I won't pry~"

"Good! A-asshole! Sheesh! You don't…y-you don't ask people shit like that! Honestly, have you no class?"

"Nope~"

"O-_obviously_! God!"

The Prussian laughed merrily, his laughter dwindled to a impish snicker a few seconds later. Lovino fumed silently, wanting to punch the albino in the throat for even _suggesting_ that he could possibly have some sort of _feelings_ for that barbarian Spaniard! There was no way in Hell that he could possibly _like_ the man! Not even just a little! Holding feelings for the man that put him through so much torment the past couple days was far from acceptable! What did it matter if he seriously meant every word of his passionate apology and dropped his defenses _just_ for the Italian? Forget the fact that he was rather attractive, and had a dazzling smile when he _chose_ to show it! So _what_ if his eyes were like two deep pools of liquid emerald that could easily entrance a person if they weren't careful? And just _forget_ about the fact that he was a _superb_ dancer! There was just _no way_ he could _ever_ possess _any_ sort of _positive_ feelings towards Captain _Antonio Carriedo._ Lovino wanted nothing to do with him. _Period_.

'_I'd rather be shot in the head!' _he mentally screamed. _'There's no way I'll ever feel anything for that son of a bitch! Ever! I won't…I just won't…'_

Ignoring the slight increase of heartbeats in his chest, the Italian scrunched his nose and plopped down against a gunwale. He wasn't going to allow himself to give in to any form of temptation, _especially_ when it came to the Spaniard. He didn't need him. In fact, he hated him, and that was all there was to it. He _despised _him. He wasn't going to let anything convince him otherwise, damn it, and that was final! Lovino didn't need this crap! He hated the captain and that was that.

…He…did hate him…right…?

**~Continuará~**

****_Sorry it's been taking me so long to update, guys! It's finals week, and I'm so close to being done! I just have two more left and then I'll be out for a month, yay~! So that way I can hopefully update faster, depending on how bad my writer's block gets! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D Obviously, it's the turning point of the entire story, meaning everything will slowly start to go uphill from here, yay! _

_Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next chapter~! ;D  
><em>


	11. Chapter Nine

**Capítulo Nueve**

"Damn iiiiit…" Gilbert groaned, swaying a bit in his position at the helm. "What time is it? I'm tired as hell and need to sleep…" Directing his attention to Lovino, who was still seated at the gunwale, he barked, "Hey, Lovino! Hey!"

"Nngh…?" Lovino answered, opening his eyes. "Shit…did I fall asleep…? How long have I been out…?"

"Well I can tell you that you passed out for the entire night and it is now officially Thursday…I think," the Prussian grunted, irritated from the lack of precious sleep. "Hey, do me a favor, will ya? Go wake Captain Melancholy up and tell him to get his tomato-loving ass out here and steer this ship so _I_ can sleep for once!"

"And just who the hell are you to command me?" Lovino snapped, equally irritated from the horrible night's sleep he actually managed to get. "I'm not your fucking servant; go do it yourself!"

"Alright, alright! For the love of—just forget it! I'm not in the mood for this crap," the first mate grunted. Rolling his crimson eyes in exasperation, he bellowed, "Hey! Who here besides the captain and I knows how to steer a ship?"

The crew below paused in their duties to look at him. An awkward silence drifted about the ship; Gilbert was about to throw a tantrum in his sleepy state due to the lack answers, but one crewman hesitantly approached the helm.

"Ah, Emilio, you just know how to do everything, don't 'cha?" Gilbert asked with a grin, his bad mood suddenly taking a one hundred and eighty degree turn. "Well then, keep her on course and the captain or myself will relieve you, depending on who wakes up first. You, my friend, are…_awesome_~"

Emilio chuckled and shook his head as he took his place at the wheel.

Grasping the handles tight and gazing out to sea, he replied, "Nah. Just doin' what I do is all. This ain't the first time I've had to cover for one of you two. Captain Carriedo had me do it aplenty whenever he was in the mood for a siesta. Just go get some rest."

"Aye, aye, I'm on my way. Danke, mein Freund~"

Emilio stood in silence for a brief moment before responding with a pleasant, "De nada, amigo."

Gilbert chuckled and headed towards his own quarters below deck. Lovino watched him leave before turning to look at Emilio.

"You…have a very heavy accent in your Spanish," he observed aloud, wondering why he hadn't noticed before. "Where are you from?"

"Hm? Ah, I'm from France. My mother was from Spain, so I speak decent Spanish. French is my native language, however," the crewman answered, a slight smile spreading across his lips.

"Mm, I see. …What part of France are you from?"

"Perpignan. It's close to the Spanish border. Why d'ya ask?"

The Italian shrugged.

"Just wondering," he said. "…Ever been to Paris?"

"Ah, yes, a few times with my father. It's pretty nice."

"Mm. I have an old…_friend_…who lives in Paris. He came to Napoli awhile back and we met at a party of mine. He's a French noble…"

Emilio turned his head to look at the young Italian lord. A coy smile playing across his lips, he asked, "Was he a lover of yours at one point?"

"Wh-what…?"

"Just asking, my friend~ There was a certain look in your eyes~"

"H-he's not my lover! N-nor was he!" Lovino defended, his cheeks flushing a bright red.

'_Don't think about that, don't think about that, don't think about that! What's done is done…' he_ thought, swallowing a bitter lump in his throat.

"No need to get so upset. I apologize," Emilio said. "Here, you look exhausted. Why don't you go sleep as well?"

"Y-yeah, I'll do that. Um, nice talking to you, I guess…"

"Likewise, Monsieur Vargas."

Pushing memories from the past to the back of his mind, he hurried into Antonio's chambers. His hazel eyes landed on the sleeping form of the Spanish captain, who looked more at peace than Lovino had ever seen. A slight blush crept to his cheeks when he realized that he was staring, so he cleared his throat and gazed off at nothing in particular. Swallowing a different sort of lump in his throat, he hesitantly approached the bed. He lingered above it for a few seconds before he finally decided to crawl under the blankets. As soon as he lay down, Antonio shifted.

A heavy arm draped across the Italian's waist, and said Italian stiffened. He was about to scream a rapid string of profanities directed toward the Spaniard, but all words caught in his throat as his hazel eyes locked with piercing emerald. Antonio stared blankly at the smaller man before a ghost of a smile formed across his lips.

"Wh-what, you stupid pirate bastard…?" Lovino choked, his heart palpitating. "Just what the hell is up with you touching me and looking at me like that, huh? Got a problem…?"

"Ah, perdón, I thought this was a dream…" Antonio replied, removing his arm from his captive's waist. "I've been confusing my dreams and reality throughout the night. I didn't say anything to you, did I?"

"Um, I was out on deck all night, so no…" the Italian breathed.

"Ah, I see. Well then, I take it you are tired. I'll let you sleep then."

With that said, Antonio shifted again and turned so his back was facing the young lord. Lovino stewed on what he had just heard; what was he supposed to say to all that?

"Um…look, I know we're on bad terms and…all that crap, but…do you wanna talk? Last night you were really…yeah…um, _different_…"

The pirate sat up. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he asked, "Why would you want to talk? If I recall correctly, you hated me and wanted nothing to do with me."

"Look, don't shoot my sympathy down, you bastard! I'm just trying to help, because believe it or not I actually felt _bad_ for you last night! And yes, I hate you, but I'm not a bad guy, alright? I'm willing to listen to other people's problems! Not that I'll be much help, but I'm willing to listen, especially when _I_ caused the problem! B-but only if you're willing to listen to mine in return!"

"…Deal."

A moment of silence drifted over the two for several seconds before Antonio finally decided to speak.

"There have been numerous problems on my mind, and I'm sure you know of a few."

Lovino raised an eyebrow.

"Go on…"

"Firstly, I'm still dwelling on the fact that I actually raped you. I can loot, plunder, drink until Kingdom come, and kill just about anybody, but the one thing I do not tolerate is rape. I was in a blind rage and couldn't control myself, though that's no excuse. Because of my actions, my dreams have been plagued with disapproving glares from my father. It hurts… Every night, I see him look at me with disgust and shame, and then he turns his back and fades away… I've seen him do that once or twice before you came along, because I know if he were alive he'd disapprove of me becoming a pirate." He paused to let out a bitter chuckle. "But of course, if he had never been killed and I had never been raised by pirates, I can guarantee that I wouldn't be who I am right now. …I take it Gilbert has told you this story, correct?"

"Yeah…" Lovino answered. "He filled me in on a few details."

"Mm, as expected. You and him are quite close, no?"

"Of course not! It's not like I trust him or anything, since he was the one who got me in this mess anyway! But he's nice to talk to, I guess…"

"Mm…"

"Anyway, enough about that!" the Italian said hastily. "Back on topic! So…you're really that upset then, huh? About the whole…y-yeah…that…"

"Of course I am. How many times to I have to apologize and cry in front of you before you finally understand that I'm _disgusted_ with myself and that I am genuinely sorry? I defied my own moral code and that in itself is unforgiveable," Antonio grumbled, running a hand though his dark locks.

"…You're human. Of course you're going to defy your moral code and whatnot. Everybody falls once in awhile. It's how you pick yourself back up that matters…"

The pirate stared at his captive for a moment before a ghost of a smile graced his features. Chuckling softly, he said, "I underestimated your wisdom, Señor Vargas."

"…Call me Lovino. Just Lovino…"

"Lovino…" Antonio repeated. "Mm, alright. In that case, call me Toni."

"…Toni…"

A couple minutes of silence passed over the two as their gazes locked. Lovino swallowed awkwardly as he peered into the deep pools of emerald. Never before had he seen such emotion surface in the pirate's eyes, but now he could honestly say he had. Needless to say, he liked it better that way. As for Antonio, he was frozen. Those hazel eyes captured his complete attention, and he felt astonished to witness a rare moment when the fires that usually burned within them were extinguished. It was a nice change to see his usually feisty Italian prisoner in a state of calm for once.

Once Lovino was able to process the situation, he cleared his throat and sputtered, "E-enough of that! Wh-what else do you have on your mind?"

"O-oh, right… Um…well, there's also the fact that I just want to get home. I'm ready to sleep in my own house and just relax for awhile. We'll be staying in Spain for a couple weeks before we shove off again to Buenos Aires. I'm just exhausted and need rest…"

"Buenos Aires? Why are we going to Buenos Aires?" the Italian lord questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"To sell and trade goods! The residents of the Gobernación del Río de la Plata love the cargo we bring when we visit~"

"What about military protection? Won't the Spanish military capture you? I mean, this is a _pirate_ ship! Most places aren't so benevolent to people of your kind."

"Let's just say I have friends in very high places, so my beloved Conquista de María is safe and under protection from any military threat~"

"Conquista de María…?"

Antonio gawked at the young lord.

"The name of my ship," he deadpanned. "Surely you could've figured that out."

"Well no shit, asshole!" Lovnio cried, the fire returning to his eyes. "Of course I knew that! What I meant to say was who the hell is María?"

"There are thousands of Marías in the world, Lovino, but only one is worthy to have my ship named after her. The María in which this ship is named after is none other than my beloved mother. She died from a mysterious disease when I was—"

"Three…" Lovnio whispered.

"Ah, so Gilbert informed you of much more than I thought. Fair enough, I reckon. But yes, she died when I was three years old. I miss her terribly. Though I don't remember much of her, I _do_ remember that she was kind and loving and only wanted the best for me. No other woman has ever expressed the same desires, therefore there is no other worthy for this ship to bear her name, save for my mother. But enough about that. Shall we continue with our original conversation?"

"Ah, yeah. Let's do that. No more of this sidetracked crap."

"Mm, I have one last problem, but I'm not sure if you can handle it."

"Of course I can handle it!" the Italian snapped. "So hurry up and tell me or I'll stop listening to a word you say, you bastard!"

The Spaniard chuckled.

"As you wish, Lovino. My third and final problem is you."

"…_WHAT_!"

"I know you heard me, so I won't bother repeating myself. But yes, my third problem is you. You see—"

"Why."

"Refrain from interrupting me when I'm speaking to you. I was just about to give you the reasons. For starters, you're rude, crude, and the biggest handful I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. You're manipulative, violent, and run off your own intuition rather than thinking things through thoroughly. In fact, I'm baffled as to how _you_ of all people were deemed worthy to rule over all of Southern Italy…"

Lovino clenched his fists tightly and gnashed his teeth, his only desire to punch the captain in the throat. How dare he use such slanderous definitions to describe him?

"But I've come to accept the fact that despite these things, there's something about you that I'm attracted to. In fact, I honestly do think these seemingly less charming qualities about you drew me in. Now, you've broken my heart the other night after our dance with your venomous rejection, but I can get over it. There's only one thing I desire and one thing only: I wish to get to know you better."

"…Excuse me?"

"Did you think I was joking that night when I told you the same thing? Because I wasn't. I was serious then, and I'm serious now," Antonio stated, his sober gaze fixed on the Italian. "What do you say this time?"

"Why should I give you the opportunity to get to know me? I was serious when I told you 'over my dead body!' But…" Lovino paused to sigh. He sat in silence for a moment to reflect upon everything he had heard and to gather his thoughts before he finally continued, "I suppose if you're so desperately willing to start over, I'll give you a chance. Who knows, maybe it's best if I get to know your bastard ass, too…"

"Muchas gracias…" Antonio said, another small smile forming. "Maybe now I can sleep better."

"Hn, whatever," Lovino grunted. A faint blush spreading across his cheeks, he muttered, "…Jackass…"

The pirate could only laugh, his mood lightening tenfold, and his heart beating with a strange newfound joy. Maybe he just needed to start over with Lovino; maybe he just needed another friend. He didn't know, but what he _did_ know was that for once in however many years, he felt genuinely _happy_. It was a nice change, and he hoped that he could continue feeling like this for a very long time.

"Well, I'm going to sleep now," the Italian lord said, interrupting the Spaniard from this thoughts. "It was nice talking to you, I guess, but I'm exhausted and your bed is way too comfy to pass up the opportunity for a nap. I was out there all night curled up against the side of the ship, so I'm sleeping!"

"As you wish, Lovino. In fact, I'm feeling rather generous, so sleep as long as you'd like. I'll see to it that no one disturbs you."

"Hm, alright. Grazie, I guess."

"De nada."

Lovino smiled at the pirate before nestling under the sheets and closing his eyes. Antonio watched him until he was certain his prisoner was asleep before he stood and made his way across the room to the door. Looking back at the sleeping Italian, he smiled to himself and shook his head before opening the door and heading out to inspect the ship. He was feeling good, and nothing could bring him down from the comfortable high he was experiencing. It was going to be a good day, he was sure.

He couldn't wait to talk to Lovino again...

**~Continuará~**

_Yay, I'm done! Once again, I apologize that it's been taking me forever to update! I hope everyone had a very happy holiday season! I've been back and forth on this chapter, so I'm sorry if it's a bit random or if places don't quite tie in with others… I really did try, though!_

_But thanks for staying with me, guys! It means a ton! :D So, until next update! ;D_


	12. Chapter Ten

**Capítulo Diez **

Gilbert watched attentively as Antonio and Lovino walked about the main deck, both lost in idle conversation. He smiled slightly as Lovino laughed—most likely at one of Antonio's corny jokes—and shook his head. The Prussian felt a tinge of joy knowing that his best friend and newest acquaintance were slowly starting to improve their terms with each other. Watching them interact positively reminded him of memories from the not-so-distant past, in a secret spot hidden amongst the trees of the Black Forest, the full moon dimly filtering through the leaves…

'_No…don't go there, Gil…' _he scolded himself. _'Don't think about the past… Not now…'_

His crimson stare absorbed the situations around him, but—regardless of his chastising—his mind continued to wander. All he could focus on was a pair of dazzling violet eyes and a small, adorably compelling smile. He reminisced of smooth skin as pale as ivory, and hair the color of decadent chocolate. The caress of specific long, slender fingers enticed his desires. He craved the touch of his dearly beloved, and his mind reeled with both memories and fantasies alike.

"Damn it…!" he groaned, covering his eyes with a hand. "Why can't I get him out of my mind…?"

The albino first mate removed his hand from his face and replaced it on the handle of the helm. A soft sigh escaped his lips, and his concentration was once again drawn back to Antonio and Lovino.

'_Look at them,' _he mused. _'It's like their entire relationship took a full three-sixty degree turn… I wonder what they talked about earlier?'_

He smiled slightly, secretly hoping for the best between the two, especially for Antonio's sake. He knew that if anyone could break his closest friend free from the clutches of darkness and borderline insanity, it was definitely ambitious Lovino.

'…_Ambitious Lovino…' _he repeated mentally. _'Ambitious…almost like….no! God _damn it_, I can't take this anymore! How long do we have before we reach Spain? I need to get back to Germany! …I'll stop by his place in Austria…so I can just…say hello. Yeah…' _

Swallowing a knot in his throat, he shook his head and shouted, "Antonio! Be a pal and take over your ship!"

"Why?" Antonio called back, looking away from Lovino to respond. "Is something wrong?"

"I wanna take a nap!"

"But you just woke up about an hour ago!" the Spaniard huffed, not wanting to cease his conversation with the Italian next to him. "I'm busy!"

"…_Please_," Gilbert pleaded. "I really just need a couple more hours of sleep. That's all I'm asking…"

At that moment Antonio realized that his trusted first mate was serious. Emerald eyes softening, he gave a slight nod and trekked towards the helm.

"You okay…?" he asked, taking the wheel.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired is all."

'_Ay, stubborn bastard…' _the Spanish captain thought. _'He'll never drop his pride and admit that he's upset.'_

"If you say so. Alright, go take a nap."

"Danke."

"De nada."

Gilbert slowly descended the small flight of stairs and walked the main deck before disappearing below to his quarters. Antonio sighed softly and shook his head.

"What's up with him?" Lovino asked, climbing the stairs to the poop deck. Sitting against the right gunwale, he added, "It's like someone came along and pissed in his wine."

The pirate chuckled.

"No, no, it's much more than that. I'm pretty sure after knowing him all these years, he's thinking about Roderich."

"…Oh…" Lovino could only reply, looking down at the wooden boards of the deck. "Y-yeah, he told me all about what happened…"

"I figured he would. Once you get him started, he won't shut up to save his life. He won't open easily when he's upset, but he wears his heart on his sleeve. That's why I _always_ know when it's Roderich on his mind."

"Does he really love him that much…?"

"You have _no idea_, Lovino…" Antonio sighed. "He never wanted to lose Roderich… He was so _broken_… Still, he managed to pull himself back onto his feet and move on—somewhat. Usually he does well with putting the past behind him, but these past few days he's been slipping quite horribly. Something's triggering it…"

The Italian stood to his feet and approached the captain. After a brief moment of hesitation, he cautiously placed a hand on the taller man's shoulder; Antonio looked at him.

"You care about him greatly," he stated. "It's really obvious..."

"Sí," the pirate answered curtly. Biting his lip after a minute or so, he quietly added, "When you've got no one else to depend on, it's only natural that the one person who has been there through thick and thin with you is the one you care for most…"

"Mm…"

Antonio shook his head yet again.

"Maybe _you're_ the one triggering his memories."

Lovino stiffened and swiftly withdrew his hand.

Snarling a bit, he hissed, "Again with the blaming me! Che diavolo, it seems to be your favorite thing to do! You bastard, just because I'm being held captive on your fucking ship doesn't give you the right to go around and blame me for every goddamn problem that sprouts up! You're such an asshole! Seriously! I can't stand you! The fuck am I even doing _talking_ to you? That's it, I'm _done_! I'm going back to the room. I—"

"_Lovino_," Antonio groaned. "Please don't do this right now. I'm not blaming _you_ for his problems. I'm just wondering if you somehow bring up past memories! The only reason I think that is because you probably _remind_ him of Roderich."

"...And what the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"According to what Gilbert has told me, I can't help but make some connections. Though you two are _very_ different, you're also both very similar in some ways. For example, you both have _ridiculous_ tempers..."

"Whaddaya mean 'ridiculous temper?'"

"...Exactly."

"Shut the hell up!"

"And thus my point was proven yet again."

"You piss me off so bad!" Lovino snapped, crossing his arms.

Antonio chuckled in response.

"And yet you're still standing here talking to me."

Lovino scoffed and rolled his eyes before shaking his head. Running a hand through his hair, he muttered, "Okay, fine, whatever. You have a point. So…what're you gonna do, then?"

"_I'm_ not going to do anything," the Spaniard said. "This is entirely on Gilbert. There's nothing I can help him with. In fact, knowing him, once we reach land he's going to head straight for Austria to find Roderich and make peace. That's the only thing he really _can_ do, honestly."

"Yeah, true… …So, what are _you_ going to do when we reach land?"

Antonio stood in silence for a few minutes as his mind processed the question. Lovino watched with a raised eyebrow, wondering if he had somehow broken what little sanity the pirate actually possessed. Hell, he was wondering if the question broke him all around in _general_ with the way he was taking so long to respond! It wasn't until the emerald-eyed captain smirked did the Italian lord realize that he _finally_ had an answer.

"First thing I'm gonna do is grab the first pretty lady I see and give her a _big_ kiss, just for the hell of it. Next, I'm gonna head back home, kick open the door, and fall onto my bed and just _sleep_ for God knows _how_ long~"

Lovino bristled at the older man's answer.

"_Stronzate_!" he cried. "That's a load of _bullshit_!"

"What, are you…_jealous_~?"

It was at this point that Lovino began to blush. Shaking his head feverishly, he shrieked, "Only in your dreams, you insane bastard! It's bad enough that you think you have _feelings_ for me, but now you're going delusional by thinking I might actually be _jealous_ because you kiss some girl? Fuck _you_, you crazy piece of shit!"

Antonio only laughed.

"Aaah, Lovino, I'm kidding~ Calm down, yeah?"

"Hmph…whatever…" the Italian muttered, crossing his arms once more and puffing out his flushed cheeks.

"Qué lindo~ You remind me of a ripe tomato when you do that~"

"GO TO HELL!"

Antonio snickered and shook his head. Wiping the amused tear from his eye, he snorted and said, "Okay, enough of that. What are _you_ going to do when we get to land?"

"Jump on another ship bound for Italia so I can get home and be away from _you_," the young lord spat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Antonio warned, turning his head to look at his captive. A spark of something _sinister_ glinted in his eyes as he forced a rather demented grin and added, "If you did, I'd find you and bring you right back~ I have no intention of letting a treasure such as yourself go any time soon. You're here for a reason, and here you shall stay unless I _physically state_ that you can go back to your beloved Nápoles."

"I'm…not afraid of you anymore," Lovino huffed boldly, daring to make eye contact with the pirate. "After all the things you said, and after the way you've been acting for the past couple days, I _know_ that you won't hurt me anymore. You're too _smitten_."

"You're right~ And I know that _you_ wouldn't really leave, because you care a bit too much about me than you realize, _Lovi_…~"

"Ch'! I-in your _dreams_, _Toni_. I'm serious when I say I'd leave! I-I'd book it right back to Napoli in a heartbeat…"

As Antonio gazed at him, Lovino swallowed and fought back another oncoming blush. Wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers, he averted his gaze to the sea in order to avoid the Spaniard's piercing stare and _freakish_ grin. Antonio only watched him fondly, his mind whirling with twisted thoughts and fantasies that aroused his hungering body a bit _too_ much. Fighting back the beast that threatened to devour his entire being, he concentrated on the remainder of his _civilized_ psyche and pondered his feelings.

"If it's any consolation, Lovino," he said after several minutes, drawing his prisoner's attention back to himself. "The more I think about it, the more I realize that I care for you just as much. And you're right, I wouldn't hurt you again. But I'm also serious when I say that I'm not letting you go. I'm selfish, and I'm going to keep you all for myself."

"Even if I never returned your _feelings_?" the Italian asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"…Sí. Even if you never returned my 'feelings.'"

"…What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" Lovino abruptly questioned. "One minute you're cheery and fun, the next you're serious and concerned for the wellbeing of your friend, then you go _batshit_, and now you're all…serious and concerned _again_! Seriously, I think you're mad."

Antonio laughed and shook his head before directing his attention back to the sea.

"Beyond mad, my friend," he admitted. "Beyond mad. Let's just say that I'm…on the brink of total destruction. A passionate dance with insanity and death all in one~"

"…I challenge that, then."

The pirate suddenly gawked. Shaking his head wildly, he managed to choke out, "_What_?"

"I said I challenge your insanity!" Lovino repeated, a strong sense of determination washing over him. "I bet…if you worked hard enough to 'capture my affections,' I could bring you back from that 'brink of insanity' shit."

"Now I'm starting to think that _you're_ the mad one, Lovino," Antonio sighed, his head now shaking gravely. "You're a strange one indeed…"

"Then…I guess that means we make a perfect pair, ne? ….I think your idiocy and insanity are contagious. I cannot _believe_ I just said all that ridiculous bullshit!"

"Either way, I accept your challenge."

"Wait…_what_?"

"I said I accept!" Pausing to genuinely grin goodheartedly at the Italian, the Spaniard continued, "If I can win your affection, we can see if you can indeed turn this Hell bound _scallywag_ around and set him on the path to Heaven. What say you, my good sir?"

Lovino smirked.

"You got yourself a deal, _bastardo_."

Antonio's grin twisted into another smirk of his own.

"_Wonderful_."

The duo smirked at each other for several seconds before Lovino suddenly remembered his Prussian acquaintance.

"….Oh, shit, wait! What about Gilbert?"

"Ah, I'll check up on him later. He will survive until we reach España."

"…Ah. Well, if you say so…"

"I know so! I'm never wrong~"

"Now you're just being an egotistical dickwad."

"Eh, it comes with the position~"

The Italian couldn't have picked a better time to roll his eyes and cackle in amusement.

**~Continuará~**

_FINALLY. For the love of…my brain is _shot_! Sorry to keep you all waiting, but here it is (ignore the shitty ending)! Can you tell I had issues with this chapter? XD_

_But wow, I was surprised some of you guys responded to my note! I though y'all would just ignore me! I feel special! :'D Either way, the deal still stands: __I get 200 reviews after I post chapter 11, and I'm gonna do something special for you guys _and_ post chapter 12 in five days or less after that_!

_But thank you guys so much for bearing with me and supporting this story! Without you, this story would've been scrapped from day one! So stick with me 'til the end, and we'll make this fic a success! FIGHTING! :D _

_But alright, enough blabbing. Until next update! ;D_


	13. Chapter Eleven

**Capítulo Once**

Lovino sighed as he lingered over the gunwale and stared out to sea. The Mediterranean glittered beautifully in the hot summer sun, and a gentle breeze made it the perfect evening for sailing. Despite his longing for the shores of his beloved Napoli, Lovino couldn't help but feel content. The Conquista de María appeared to glide across the pristine waves, giving the Italian the feeling of flying through the air. Closing his eyes, he smiled and let the wind caress his very soul. At the wheel, Antonio observed his prisoner fondly.

'_So cute~' _he thought.

After several minutes, Lovino hesitantly opened his eyes. The glare of the setting sun made him wince from the sudden brightness, thus causing Antonio to chuckle. The unexpected sound made the Italian spin around on his heel to face the Spaniard.

"A-and just what the hell are you laughing at, damn it!" he muttered, a faint tinge of pink creeping to his cheeks. "Stupid bastard…"

Antonio grinned and laughed once again.

"Lo siento, Lovino," he apologized. "But you're just too cute~ You must really like being out at sea."

The young lord rolled his eyes. Clearing his throat, he mumbled in response, "So what if I do? I've never really sailed on a ship, but I've always loved the ocean."

"Then you'll love Cádiz," the pirate stated with a smile.

"For you sake, I sure hope so…"

"I swear, my little tomato~"

"Don't call me that, asshole! Th-there's no way in Hell I'm your stupid 'tomato!' Hmph!"

The blush on Lovino's cheeks deepened to a bright crimson as he spoke, his hazel eyes glancing from place to place in order to avoid Antonio's gleaming emerald.

"Crazy bastard…" he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "Fucking doesn't make sense…"

"Something wrong~?" the pirate questioned upon hearing his prisoner's muttering, a smug smile planted firmly on his lips.

"No! Just shut up and stay out of my business!"

The Spaniard pouted slightly, though it was more out of good humor.

"When are you gonna start being at least a _bit_ nicer to me? I'm hurt~!"

"Never!" the Italian snapped, the tiniest form of a smile tugging at the corners of his thin lips.

He was about to add the statement, "The last time I was nice to another man in the way you want me to be, I got my feelings taken advantage of and my heart thrown back in my face," but decided against it; that information was too personal, and he felt that the pirate he hated _oh so much_ didn't need to know all the details of his oh so _wonderful_ life story. Instead, he just left it at "never" and refused to say anything more on the subject.

"Awww~ Pity~" Antonio chuckled. "Well, how about after dinner I try to change your mind, hm?"

"Like you could," Lovino retorted. Crossing his arms and grinning slightly, he added a rather cocky, "I bet you couldn't make me be nicer to you if your life depended on it, _señor_."

"I'll take you up on that, then. What would you like to bet on?"

Without thinking about his next words, the young lord vociferously boasted, "If you win, I'll give you a kiss."

The Spaniard stood in silence for a moment as if the younger man's words somehow managed to strike right at his heart…until a devious smirk twisted its way onto his face. When Lovino caught sight of said smirk, the realization of what he had just said dawned on him...and he paled.

"W-wait, no! No, I didn't mean that! I was being stupid! I—"

"I accept~" Antonio cooed. "Now, to add to that, if _you_ win and I can't make you be a bit nicer to me by the end of the night, I'll let you…ah, yes, I know… I'll let you push me off the ship and make me swim the rest of the way back to Spain."

"…You're joking."

"No, I'm not. I'm being serious."

"You'll seriously jump off the ship if I win?"

"And swim back to Spain. Sí, on my word~"

"Alright, you got yourself a deal. I'll make sure I don't even so much utter the _tiniest _compliment or show the most miniscule amount of compassion towards you," Lovino said, extending his hand out for a shake.

"Of course," Antonio replied, shaking the Italian's hand. Playing coy, he smiled and slowly brought said Italian's hand up to his lips and planted a chaste kiss to it. "But that will all change when I work my _magic_~"

"Wh…wh-wh…what the hell do you think you're doing?" the young lord shrieked, jerking his hand away from the emerald-eyed man. Cheeks flushing to the darkest shade of red possible, he continued, "M-magic my ass…! You're just _greasy_! _God_! You're disgusting! Bleck!"

"I'm only trying to be a gentleman~"

"And you're failing! Freak!"

"Aaaah…this might be harder than I thought~" the Spaniard admitted to himself, nodding slightly in thought. "Harder than I thought, indeed…~"

"D-damn right it is! What, did you think I was going to cave? Do you _really_ think I'll give into you so easily? _Please_! You don't know who you're dealing with, _pal_. I'll give you a good what-for, and we'll see who's laughing when you're off this ship and swimming the rest of the way back to your damn country! I'm serious!"

"…_Sooo_ cute…~"

"SHUT UP, YOU GREASY BASTARD!"

Antonio laughed and did his best to keep control over his beloved ship. Lovino muttered profanities in irritated Italian as the other man did so, his blush only fading a miniscule amount. Both men were so distracted and caught up in themselves that they failed to notice a certain albino first mate ascend the stairs to the poop deck where all the action took place.

"Sounds like there's some awesome party going on up here, and I'm wondering why the hell I wasn't invited!" Gilbert said, a grin spreading across his face.

"Ah, Gil!" Antonio chimed, ceasing his laughter. "Are you feeling better now?"

The Prussian snorted.

"There wasn't anything wrong to begin with. Awesome people such as myself don't dawdle on pointless things like memories of the past. Seriously, that's so _not_ awesome."

"Ay, of course, of course. My mistake~"

"…It's okay to talk about things, you know…" Lovino suddenly said, directing his attention to Gilbert. "You don't have to act all macho and shit. It's not stupid to talk amongst…_friends_…"

Both pirates turned to look at the lord. A small smile played at Antonio's lips, and Gilbert just stared as if trying to comprehend what he just heard.

"My, my, Lovino…" Antonio said gently. "I never thought I'd hear something like that come out of _your_ mouth…"

"Sh-shut up, jackass… I'm just trying to help. I'm not heartless, you know…"

"…Danke," Gilbert interrupted, a soft grin gracing his handsome face. "I guess that's something I needed to hear, and you're right. You're pretty awesome yourself, Lovi~"

"Y-yeah, yeah, whatever. Are you gonna tell us what's wrong or not?" the Italian lord huffed, crossing his arms impatiently.

"Nah, I've been doing a bunch of thinking and I made up my mind with what I need to do. I can solve this problem on my own, thank you very much~ …But I appreciate your concern. I really do…"

"It's…no problem…"

A moment of silence drifted over the three men as they stood around the helm. Antonio tightened his grip on the handles of the wheel and cleared his throat awkwardly while Lovino and Gilbert fidgeted and looked off in random directions in an attempt to avoid _complete_ awkwardness—it obviously wasn't working too well.

"S-so!" Antonio blurted, forcing a grin to his face. "I don't know why we're all so awkward. We just witnessed a nice, sweet, _friendly_ moment between the three of us. No more awkward! Anyway, Gil! Lovino and I made a bet with each other~"

"A bet, huh?" Gilbert repeated, looking at his friend. "What kind of bet?"

"Hn, the bastard here is trying to get me to be _nice_ to him. I haven't killed him, so he should at least be thankful and happy for that!" Lovino grunted.

"Haha, I'm not easily satisfied, my dear Lovino~"

"So I noticed."

"So what's at stake?" the crimson-eyed pirate asked.

"If I can get him to be nice to me, he has to give a kiss~" the Spaniard chimed merrily, the good vibes _radiating_ from his body. "And of course I _will_. I always do~"

The Prussian snorted.

"Good luck with _that_. This one I'm not so sure about. Anyway, what happens if you lose?"

"I get to push the idiot here off the ship and make him swim back to Spain. Hopefully he gets eaten by a shark when I _do_ win this goddamn bet," the Italian said, nonchalantly examining his nails as if he honestly _knew_ he would come out victorious.

"Hey, that's not very—"

"Ha! I'd _pay_ to see that! My bet's on Lovino~ …No offence, _Captain_," the albino said, grinning sheepishly at his buddy.

"Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever. But you'll both be sorry you mocked me, because I _will_ get Lovino to show me a bit of kindness, and I _will_ get that kiss!"

"Don't hold your breath," both Lovino and Gilbert deadpanned in response, looking at each other in confirmation.

"You were sweet to me once before!" Antonio cried, pointing a finger at his captive. "That talk we had was a pleasant one, as well as the other small conversations! Why now of all times are you retorting back to old habits?"

"Because I have every right to, and you piss me off with some of the things you say to me, so I really don't feel the need to be 'nice' to you right now!"

"Right now~?"

"_Ever_!"

Gilbert snorted and laughed as he watched the scene unfold; both Antonio and Lovino turned to stare at him.

"Mein Gott," the albino Prussian cackled. "It feels like we're all _close_ friends already~ Well, it's _actually _more like _you two_ are lovers and I'm just the innocent bystander…~"

A clash of "Do you really think so?" and "Shut the hell up, albino jackass!" met the first mate's ears at the same time, and a wild grin spread across his thin lips.

"But of course~" is all he said in reply to the two men.

The next several minutes were spent in silence as Antonio grinned, Lovino scowled, and Gilbert did his best to contain his laughter. After awhile, the first mate decided to break the silence.

"Well then! Since you two are in the midst of a bet, why don't I do you a favor and take the wheel for the rest of the night? What say you, Captain?" he asked, crimson eyes sparking with unvoiced laughter.

"Wonderful idea," Antonio replied. "She's all yours for the night, amigo~"

Gilbert took hold of the wheel, and Antonio grinned at Lovino.

"Just what exactly are you smiling at, bastard?" the Italian grumbled, averting his gaze. "I'm not letting you win, no matter how goddamn hard you try…"

"Of course~ But I—"

"Captain!" interrupted a loud cry from above.

The Spaniard cocked an eyebrow and raised his head to look towards the crow's nest, where his newest lookout—Alfonso—kept watch.

"Speak, lad! What is it?" he bellowed.

"Land ho!" Alfonso shouted in response. "The ports of Cádiz! We should be arriving in approximately fifteen hours, sir!"

"Aaaah, excellent!" Directing his attention to Lovino, the cheeky captain added, "_Plenty_ of time to woo you and make you say something nice to me~"

"Ch'! Good luck!" Lovino snorted, crossing his arms and turning away from the emerald gaze of his captor.

"But you see, my dear, I'm Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo~" Antonio cooed smoothly, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. "I don't _need_ luck."

**~Continuará~**

_Done (and I'm so sorry it's a sucky, random chapter)! Sorry it took me so long for this one, guys, but it's been crazy! I'm currently in the process of finding a new job, _and_ I've been everything from errand girl to __chauffeur to DJ for a private Valentine's Day dance! I was hoping to get this posted _on_ V-day for everyone as my V-day gift to y'all, but as we all can see, that didn't happen… OTL _

_Anyway, I'm working on chapter 12 as we speak so that way I can get it up and posted within 5 days or less, as promised~ I know we're not at 200 yet, but you all have been so nice to me and made me cry (in a good way~), I decided I'm going to uphold my end of the deal _anyway_! My special surprise may take awhile because I need good weather to do so, and lately the weather has been…yeeeeah… _

_But alright, stick with me and I'll have chapter 12 posted in a couple days! Until next update! ;D_


	14. Chapter Twelve

**Capítulo Doce **

"I'm going to go walk around the deck," Lovino stated, setting his empty dinner plate off to the side.

"Alright, then I'll come with you," Antonio replied, standing. "It's a great night to be on deck, no? In fact, I'll bring my mandolin and lighten the atmosphere with some music~"

"Do what you want. I don't care," the younger man muttered, hiding his blush as he recalled the pirate's beautiful singing voice. "Just don't ask me to dance with you again, 'cause it's not happening."

"Of course, of course~"

That said, Lovino barged out of the captain's quarters, Antonio following behind with his mandolin in hand. The Italian lord paced about the deck, whilst the Spanish pirate plopped himself against the gunwale. As his fingers strummed the strings of his instrument, a sweet melody filled the air, and the crewmembers' moods seemed to lift immensely. Lovino watched in amazement as some of them whistled along with the tune and as others chortled merrily, a little bounce in their steps as they worked. At the helm, even Gilbert tapped his foot with the beat, humming ever so softly in rhythm. Before long Antonio's smooth voice drifted along with the melody of the mandolin, and Lovino was once again captivated.

Several pirates chimed along with their captain, thus forming a small chorus about the ship. For the first time, the entire atmosphere of the ship was pleasant and joyous; it was a nice change, Lovino affirmed. It was amazing what the power of music could do to people, especially when said people were tired and ready to be home. Speaking of, the thought caused the young lord to look in the direction of the bow. His breath hitched a little in his throat as he saw the shores of Spain creep closer and closer—he had never been outside of Italy, and quite frankly he was rather excited to visit a new country. Now, he'd be much more content and satisfied if he wasn't _kidnapped_, but hey, he decided it was useless to complain at this point.

Even with all the cheerfulness around, however, there was one pirate whose mood could not be lifted. He scowled to himself as he manned his post; how dare _Captain Carriedo_ make a fool out of everyone on the ship. He felt he needed to have a word with the captain, and he needed to have it spoken _now_.

Gritting his teeth, he tore away from his spot on the ship and marched across the deck. Noting that Lovino was in his way, he snarled and violently shoved the Italian out of his path.

"Move it, brat!" he spat behind him.

"H-hey!" the Italian shouted in rage. "Get back here, you bastard! How dare you shove me like that! Don't you walk away from me, I'm—"

The joyful sound of Antonio's music ceased and was soon replaced with a deafening gunshot. Everyone other than Antonio froze and hesitantly directed their attention toward him.

"I thought I made it _extremely_ clear, especially after _last time_, that _no one_ was to touch our good friend Lovino, did I not?" he said, his voice dropping dangerously low and his eyes narrowing. His entire being radiated malice, and his facial features twisted into a scowl tainted with insanity. "If one more person lays a hand on Lovino, I'll see to it that every last person on this ship _starves_ when we set sail for Buenos Aires!"

"A-Antonio…" Lovino said softly, walking over to him. "It's alright… I'm not hurt or anything… Just _breathe_, okay? Breathe…"

"_Nobody_ will touch you," the Spaniard growled. "Not a single soul will touch you. The only one who is allowed to touch you is _me_."

"Antonio, you're not God, okay? Sometimes when people 'touch me,' it's an _accident_. You can't go around shooting ever poor fool that accidentally bumps into me without meaning to…"

"_He_—" The captain indicated to the dead crewman by roughly kicking his corpse. "—touched you on _purpose_."

"Yes, that's true, but you need to _calm down_. I don't wanna be around you when you get like this."

Something in Lovino's words seemed to snap Antonio back to reality, for his breathing steadied itself and his body began to relax. He swallowed and blinked several times, trying to get his palpitating heart back to a normal, steady pace.

Running a hand through his bangs, he breathed deeply and murmured, "Sorry…"

"I…well, it's not alright, but…yeah, okay…" the younger man said. "Um…let's just…try to find that nice happy place we were all at just a minute ago, hm?"

"Right, right…" Clearing his throat, Antonio shouted, "Someone dispose of this! And clean up the mess it's leaving behind!"

"Aye, sir!" two men shouted in response, rushing over to their deceased crewmate and hoisting his body over the gunwale to toss it into the sea. Another man hurried over with a bucket of suds and a mop and began to clean up the puddle of blood that was left behind.

"Now that we've got all this taken care of, why don't we try to enjoy our night by resuming where we left off?" the emerald-eyed captain continued, picking up his mandolin once more and moving to a different area to avoid the mess.

"Yeah…" Lovino agreed.

He followed the Spaniard to a different spot and sat next to him, his hazel-eyes watching in renewed wonder as Antonio's fingers resumed plucking and strumming the strings of the mandolin. It took a few moments of the instrument's soothing sound to lighten the mood, but once it did so, the crew began to slowly ease back into their previously jollity. Even Antonio melted into the sound of his instrument, and he once again began to sing.

Lovino listened in awe, a soft smile gracing his lips as the older man's voice drifted through his ears. Despite the fact that the pirate captain was _insane_, the Italian lord really couldn't deny the fact that he harbored some sort of…_fascination_ for the man. He was unlike any person he had ever known, and even though he was still upset about what the man had done the first night they met, he couldn't help but forgive him. In fact, if anything, Lovino felt that he wanted to _help_ him. …Not that he was going to admit that out loud, of course.

"…Do you know any songs from Napoli?"

Antonio looked at him after concluding his song.

"I know one or two. Want me to play one?"

"Yeah…"

The Spaniard smiled and nodded, and his fingers began to strum a tune that was very familiar to his captive. The young lord's eyes brightened slightly and before he knew it, his lips began to move and the lyrics of the song projected into the air, his voice full of passion as he sang in vigorous Italian. Antonio listened in captivation, and after several minutes of stunned silence, he began to sing along as well—though he wasn't the best at speaking Italian in general, he certainly knew how to sing in the language.

Lovino was surprised to hear the older man join in, but his singing didn't falter. Instead, a slight grin spread across his face, and his singing grew even stronger. As the duo sang, the crew stopped and listened to the unfamiliar words of the lyrics, each one entranced by the melody. Some swayed with the beat, others tapped their feet, and several clapped along. At the helm, Gilbert whistled along with the rhythm, his crimson eyes sparkling with just a small tinge of joy; it's been quite awhile since the ship last experienced a night like this, and he knew that _everyone_ enjoyed them, he himself included.

Back on the main deck, Antonio and Lovino concluded their duet. The crew cheered and applauded, each member glad that their last night on the Mediterranean—for awhile, anyway—was a pleasant one. There was one fact that everyone knew by heart, and they were content that said fact was being put into effect this very night: when the captain is in a good mood, _everybody_ benefits. Maybe it was a good thing the Italian kid was dragged along with us, the crew thought—despite the few mishaps that occurred along the journey, of course.

At the gunwale, Lovino sighed in happiness. For once throughout his entire experience, he actually felt at peace with the world. Grinning a bit, he turned his head to look at Antonio.

"Aaah, is that a smile I see~?" Antonio commented. "Are we a step closer to you being nice to me and securing my chances of victory~?"

Lovino's smile instantly faded.

"_Hell_ no!" he snapped. "Damn you, using music to your advantage to pull a fast one on me! Bastard!"

The Spaniard could only laugh. The Italian pouted and glanced off elsewhere. There was no way he was letting that jerk have the upper hand!

"Do you have any requests for me to play?" the pirate asked after a moment of silence.

"No," the younger man huffed.

"Aw, come now, must you always be so sore with me? I'm only trying to make this last night a pleasant one!"

"Why the hell are we having this stupid bet again?" Lovino grunted, glaring at a random spot on the deck. "It's not like I'd even kiss you _anyway_ if you _did_ win."

Antonio smiled slightly and chuckled. Shaking his head, he replied, "Well if you _diehard _don't want to do this anymore, we can call a truce. What say you?"

"Whatever…"

The pirate captain chuckled again and plucked a few random strings of his mandolin. Glancing at his captive, another smile formed on his lips. As Lovino's eyes darted from place to place about the ship, he decided to take the opportunity and smoothly press a chaste kiss to the Italian's temple.

Upon contact, Lovino's eyes grew wide and his cheeks flushed to a vivid scarlet. He snapped his head viciously in the Spaniard's direction and _wanted_ to screech an abundance of threats and profanities at the man, but his mouth only opened and closed a number of times before he grunted and stood to his feet. Antonio cocked an eyebrow at the action and reached out to grab the younger man's wrist.

"D-don't touch me…!" Lovino breathed, freezing in his steps.

"Hey, now…"

The young lord swallowed and cleared his throat before retrieving his wrist. Coughing a bit into his shoulder, he grumbled, "What the hell do you think you're doing, kissing me like that…"

"I couldn't help it! It was a spur of the moment thing!"

"I oughtta throw you off this boat right now, jackass!"

"We both know you wouldn't do that~"

"Wanna bet!"

Antonio's defense reflexes kicked in as Lovino charged. With a small gasp, he quickly dodged the younger man, only to catch him just in the nick of time to prevent said younger man from flying over the side of the ship and into the sea. Lovino roared in outrage and struggled in the older man's grasp, but the pirate refused to release him.

"Are you insane?" Antonio asked, emerald orbs wide. "You should know better than to charge like that! Jeez, it's kind of annoying how you let your temper get the best of you…"

"Shut up and put me down, you jerk!" Lovino demanded, feeling extremely embarrassed from his previous actions.

"Sí, sí. Of course."

After a few deep breaths, Lovino managed to find his calm point and began to settle down. Running his fingers through his auburn hair, he muttered a quick "Thanks for catching me, by the way" and plopped back down into his spot against the gunwale. Antonio cracked a small smile and sat next to him. Rubbing his prisoner's back soothingly, he replied with a simple, "Don't mention it."

The duo sat in silence for awhile, listening to nothing but the sounds of the sea and the hustle and bustle of the crew. Occasionally the ship would creak and groan, disrupting the peacefulness just a bit. It wasn't until Antonio grew bored did he pick up his mandolin and resume playing.

Lovino yawned a bit at the relaxing melody being produced and stretched. He rubbed at his eyes and blinked several times before deciding it was time for a nap. As the shores of Spain grew closer, he figured it wouldn't hurt to take a brief rest. Within moments, his eyes were closed and his figure drooped. He sniffled and tilted his head to the side, resting it against Antonio's shoulder. Before he could register what he was doing, sleep overcame him.

Antonio chuckled softly and turned his head slightly to look at the slumbering Italian.

'_So adorable…' _he thought, nuzzling a bit into the soft mass of hair.

Deciding that sleep sounded like an extremely good idea, he lifted the smaller man into his arms and trudged towards his quarters. He made sure to entrust his instrument to Emilio, knowing that the crew needed a night of gaiety most of all. It was amazing how much he himself had changed over the course of the journey to Nápoles, and he knew it was all thanks to the slumbering Italian in his arms. For once in his pathetic life, he could actually admit that he was grateful.

'_I'm never letting you go…' _he mentally told the young lord. _'Never. The only one who can take you away from me is God Himself.' _

However, he didn't want to admit that he was feeling more than just _admiration_ for his captive. Oh, no. Within his heart, as much as he wanted to deny it, he knew that he was falling in love, and that scared him most of all.

'_Look at me… Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, falling in love with some bratty kid from Italy. What's this world coming to?'_

**~Continuará~**

_Shit, I'm so sorry this is a few days late, guys! I didn't plan this out too well… It's midterms week, so I've been busy writing essays and studying like crazy, and I'm _finally_ done for the week! Please forgive me for not keeping my promise… ;A; I'm a horrible person and deserve to be flogged… orz _

_Also, if it takes me even _longer _to update, it's because I got a job (I have an interview tomorrow, yaaaay~!) and need to focus on that as well as college. Anyway, yaaay, at least it didn't take me a month to update! But yeah, I'll stop blabbing now and go finish some homework! Sooo…until next update! ;D_


	15. Chapter Thirteen

**Capítulo Trece**

Lovino groaned as a warm hand came in contact with his shoulder and lightly shook him. Grumbling something in sleep-ridden gibberish, he groggily swatted at the hand and buried himself further into the blankets. To his dismay, the owner of the hand chortled in amusement and once more attempted to wake the Italian.

"Go 'way…" Lovino grunted as the hand touched him a second time.

The owner of the hand sighed and clicked his tongue impatiently. Deciding that it was time to take drastic measures, a pair of hands grabbed at the blanket and tore it away from the unsuspecting victim. Said victim immediately curled himself into a ball and shivered, too tired to shout profanities at the perpetrator. The latter chortled again and shook his head.

"As much as I'd love to let you stay here and sleep, Lovino, I'm sure you don't want to be stuck on my ship alone while the rest of us go to our homes and relax."

"Damn it…" the young lord grumbled, hesitantly forcing himself to sit up. "What are you talking about…?"

Antonio chuckled once again.

"We've arrived," he simply said.

"Seriously?"

"Sí, seriously. We're docked as we speak and currently unloading some of our cargo. I'm about to head home and rest myself. Care to join? Or would you rather stay here and watch the ship for the next week?"

"Okay, okay, I get the point. I'm up…"

"Ah, bueno~"

"Shut up…"

Antonio laughed softly and shook his head as he helped the younger man out of bed. After giving his shoulder a pat, he immediately turned to leave the room, leaving Lovino alone to continue with his wakeup process. With a slight groan, the Italian reluctantly climbed out of bed and stretched. Rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly, he slipped on his boots and trudged out of the room.

Hazel eyes gazed in wonder at the scenery, consisting of a bustling little port town and the crew of Antonio's ship unloading cargo from all the places they pillaged. The pirates appeared to be in high spirits upon being home, which was quite the sight to see. One face was missing, however—Gilbert's face.

"Hey…where's Gilbert?" Lovino asked, scanning the area to see if he could catch a glimpse of unmistakable silver hair.

"Aaah, he immediately set off for Austria as soon as he stepped off deck. He has important business to attend to."

"I see. Well, what are _you_ going to do, then?"

"_I'm_ going home~ And _you're _coming with me~"

Lovino rolled his eyes at the comment. Snorting a bit, he deadpanned, "Oh, how surprising. If only I had figured this out sooner. I never would have ever guessed that you were making me stay with you at your house. Oh, I am ecstatic."

Antonio raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, very funny, smartass. Now, are you ready to go?"

"Seeing on how I don't have anything with me, I suppose so."

"Bueno! Let's go!"

The young Italian followed the pirate along, his curiosity getting the best of him as he looked around in awe at the sights of the town. It was a lot like his beloved Napoli, but at the same time it was completely different. So many different sights and smells, so many different people… It was all just a bit overwhelming for the poor soul, especially since it was his very first time in another country.

Antonio zigzagged through several small alleys and dodged through numerous people as he trekked onward to his home. On several occasions, he had to stop and wait for his Italian captive to catch up with him, due to the fact that Lovino had a tendency to space out while seeing the "sights." However, it wasn't long before they reached their destination.

"There it is," the Spaniard said with a grin. "Home sweet home."

"…_That's_ where you live?" Lovino inquired, staring in the direction of Antonio's finger. "_That_. Are you serious?"

The pirate pointed at what appeared to be a small, run-down little shack, squished between the walls of taller buildings in a cramped alley. From what Lovino could tell, there was only one window, haphazardly built next to a crooked, rotting wooden door. The roof itself appeared to be nothing but wooden planks, and the walls of the structure were a dingy white color, with paint peeling in several areas. A slapdash excuse for a fence encircled the tiny area, giving way to a tiny muddy path leading up to the entrance of the shack. Needless to say the Italian lord was _not_ impressed.

"Aaah, but don't be fooled by outside appearances, amigo! It's what's on the _inside_ that counts~" the pirate assured, leading him up the small path and opening to door. "See?"

_Now_ Lovino was impressed. His hazel eyes widened in amazement as they scanned the interior of the shack. Compared to the outside, the inside was truly fit for a king. In contrast to the house's dinky exterior, the inside was a vast, well-built area. The den was large and richly decorated, and the kitchen area was connected to it by a short wall with an extravagant curtain covering the doorway. Across the room from the entryway was a large fireplace, and a golden crucifix hung above it. To the left of the den was a small hallway in which three rooms were built. The room directly at the end of the hall was the bedroom. To the right of the bedroom was the storage room, and to the left was Antonio's workplace. A door inside the kitchen led to the small back yard, where a decent garden with various fruits and vegetables grew, as well as an outhouse-like structure where one took care of "business." It was quite the impressive little home on the inside, a fact that Antonio was quite proud of.

"From the look on your face, I can tell you're quite surprised~" the emerald-eyed man noted. "I like to keep my wealth incognito, y'know? I don't need to flaunt how I get my money, and what kind of business I do. And if you're wondering how the inside is so big compared to the out, it's because my house is built into the walls of the surrounding buildings~"

"I…I figured as much!" Lovino snapped. "I'm not stupid, I know how architecture works!"

"Of course, of course, I figured as much. You're Italian, after all~ Anyway, now that we're here, make yourself at home. May I offer you something to drink? Wine, perhaps?"

"Wine sounds lovely," the younger man grunted, walking over to the plush sofa and plopping carelessly onto it.

"Coming right up."

As Antonio disappeared into the kitchen, Lovino's eyes once again scanned the room. He scrutinized the various paintings hung on the walls, and drank in the detailed sculptures and tapestries that decorated the house. Before long, Antonio was back with two silver goblets filled to the brim with the finest wine and a bowl of fresh fruit from his garden.

"Alright, let us drink to our youth and eat a light snack before dinner~" he said merrily, sitting down next to his prisoner and handing him his goblet. "¡Salud!"

"Evviva," Lovino answered, clanking his glass with Antonio's and taking a long swig of his wine. "Mmm…"

"It's good wine, ¿no?"

"Yeah, it's really good wine…"

"Smuggled several bottles out of some vineyard in France a couple years ago. Aaah, now _that_ was an adventure~"

"Huh… Is anything in your house purchased, or did you steal it all?"

"Why buy when you can save your money and take?" Antonio laughed. "No, no, I'm partially joking~ Some things I bought, others I took. I'll leave you guessing as to what is what~"

"Ch', it's not like I really care _anyway_. I was just asking. …Sweet Jesus, these tomatoes are amazing!" the Italian said after biting into one of Antonio's fruits.

"I know~ I grew them myself~ I take pride in my green thumb, so to speak."

"I can see why!"

Antonio chuckled and observed Lovino curiously. His heart skipped a beat once or twice, and he had to fight back a blush with all his might. He couldn't help but mentally comment on how cute the younger man was, especially when he ate. Swallowing back a lump in his throat, the pirate ran a hand through his brown locks and closed his eyes.

"After we finish, what say I show you around?" he offered, opening his eyes once again to look at the Italian.

"Sure, why not?" Lovino replied. "I'm ready for adventure or whatever."

"Great!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

The two men enjoyed their refreshments in silence until the last of the wine was downed and the remaining fruit devoured. Lovino stretched and popped his back after standing to his feet, and Antonio left the room temporarily to change out of his pirate clothing and into something more common. Once he was ready, they were out the door.

"I hope you enjoy your stay here," Antonio said as they walked along. "I enjoyed having you on my ship, and I'm sure I'll enjoy having you as a guest in my house."

"Mm, we'll see. …It doesn't seem like a bad place, though. I wanna go home, but I suppose I can stick around for a bit before I decided to run away and catch the next ship back to Napoli."

It was obvious that Lovinio was joking, but Antonio took discomfort in his words nonetheless. However, he decided to brush it off and just bask in the moment.

"Most ship captains aren't too fond of stowaways," was all he said, grinning a bit.

"T'ch, I'm aware of that."

They walked around in silence for a bit, taking in whatever they could of the bustling town and enjoying each other's company. It wasn't long before the sun began to set, its reddish hue shimmering on the waves of the ocean.

"It's beautiful…" Lovino breathed, staring out toward the horizon. "I love the sea…"

"Mm, yeah, I agree with that statement," Antonio replied. "Sunsets here are always a pleasure to watch. …Hey, speaking of! All the fun stuff happens at night. Would you like me to show you?"

"I don't see a problem in that," the Italian answered, shooting a slight grin at the pirate. "Let's just enjoy the sunset first."

The older man nodded in agreement and stared out. Without thinking, his calloused hand reached out and grasped Lovino's softer one. Lovino raised an eyebrow, but decided that it was moot to make a big deal about it. Instead, he entwined their fingers and let the man hold his hand. Together they relished the sunset and the warmth of the summer evening as slight content smiles graced their faces.

**~Continuará~**

_JESUS, I'm so sorry. =A= Its several months late, but here it is FINALLY. I'm not going to bother editing this chapter because it took everything I had to finish writing it! I'm so sorry making all y'all wait on my stupid ass! Let's just say with work and all, this fic has been the last thing on my mind, not to mention my mojo went straight to Hell and back. =A= But thank you so much for being patient! I'll do my best to update much, much, muuuuuch quicker this time!_


	16. Bonus Chapter: Gilbert's Story

**Bonus Chapter – Gilbert's Story**

"_Gilbert, please… Please don't go…" _

"_Blackbird…" Gilbert sighed. "Don't beg me… I can't stand it when you beg." _

"_But I _will_ beg, Gilbert, I will! I'm _begging_ you not to go to Spain! Not without me!"_

_Gilbert swallowed and took his lover's soft hands into his own. Planting a kiss on the pale knuckles, his crimson eyes locked with gorgeous amethyst, and his heart sunk slightly in his chest. _

"_Wait for me…" he whispered, pressing his forehead against the shorter man's. "I promise you, Roderich, that I'll return in a couple weeks. Two weeks. I promise…"_

"_Gilbert…" Roderich breathed, feeling his eyes sting, but refusing to let his tears fall. "Take me with you… Please…" _

"_I'm sorry…" _

_A silence drifted between the two men as they held each other's hands tightly. _

"…_Do you promise it'll only be two weeks…?" Roderich asked after a moment. _

"_I promise…" Gilbert breathed, wrapping his arms around the slender frame of the aristocrat. Grinning a bit, he added, "I'll be back in no time. You'll see!" _

"_I trust you…" the aristocrat stated, a small smile of his own forming. "Be safe…" _

"_I'm the great Gilbert of Prussia! There's no way anything can happen to me~" _

_Roderich just laughed and pecked his lover on the cheek._

"Blackbird…!"

Gilbert awoke with a jolt as the word escaped his mouth. He looked around in confusion, temporarily wondering why he was in the back of a farmer's cart and why he was moving at a steady pace along the countryside. It didn't take long before he remembered hitching a ride with the generous old farmer to Innsbruck.

"Ah, so you're awake, are you?" the farmer asked, sneaking a look back at his albino passenger. "Were you having a dream about blackbirds?"

"…Something like that…" Gilbert responded, staring out at the landscape. "How far 'til Innsbruck?"

"About a half day's journey, I'd say. Speaking of, I never asked you when I first picked you up. What's yer business in Innsbruck, anyway?"

"I have a…_friend_…there. I only have a short amount of time, so I need to fix some things between us before I head back to Spain."

"Spain, eh? I never assumed you t'be a Spaniard! 'Specially since you speak fluent German!" the farmer said, grinning a bit.

"Well, Prussia is my home—it's where I was born and raised. I just _work_ in Spain, I guess," the pirate replied.

"Oh? What kind of work?" the elderly man inquired, all in innocent curiosity.

"I'm a...sailor."

"Aaah, a man of the high seas! I respect that, lad."

"Danke," Gilbert said before muttering under his breath, "Though there's really nothing respectable about what I do."

"What was that, son?"

"Ah, nothing! Just muttering to myself~"

"Best not make a habit out of that, boy," the farmer warned. "If you do it too much, people'll start takin' ya to be a madman!"

"I'll keep that in mind."

Silence drifted between the two men as the farmer's horse continued to pull the cart along the endless dusty road. Gilbert sighed and sprawled out across the empty wooden buggy. His crimson eyes turned upward towards the vast blue sky, and he watched the clouds roll by and change shapes in the summer breeze. Days like this reminded him of the past, when he and Roderich would go for walks through Innsbruck and the surrounding areas. He remembered how they would occasionally go on picnics and do nothing but stare at the sky after they ate, hand-in-hand and very much content with being together. The thought of t hose days being over tugged at his heartstrings, and he couldn't help but let his usually bright eyes mist over with unshed tears. Oh, how he missed those days…

"Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Gilbert quickly wiped at his eyes and popped his neck. Looking at the farmer, he quickly replied, "Of course I'm alright! It's just…it's just really dusty! Yeah! I have really bad allergies, so sometimes my eyes go all wonky an' shit on me."

He sniffled obnoxiously and cleared his throat to add to his lie.

"I see, I see. Well, the best cure for any ailment is sleep, I always say! We still got a bit of daylight left before we reach our destination, so ya might as well kill some time," the farmer stated, steering his horse through a fork in the road.

"Hm, ja, I think I'll do that. I'm still tired from my last nap, anyway…"

"Alright, I won't wake ya until we reach Innsbruck."

"Danke."

Gilbert closed his eyes and exhaled deeply as he attempted to make himself as comfortable as possible in the back of the wagon. As hard as he tried to force himself to sleep, continuous thoughts of Roderich made it impossible to do so. Questions such as "How is he doing?" and "What's been going on with him these past few years?" ran through his mind, followed my short little fantasies to serve as temporary answers to said questions. It became too much…

"Damn it to Hell…" he muttered to himself. "There's no way I'll be able to sleep."

The hours slowly passed by ever so slowly as the horse trotted along the road toward Innsbruck. All Gilbert could do was drift in and out of several power naps and play little games in his head with the surrounding scenery. Before he knew it the night was upon them, and all he could do was stare at the stars and search for various constellations. He'd recall old stories he had heard about them, and pictures in his head reeled through his imagination to accompany the stories he told to himself.

Nighttime sluggishly dragged on as he drifted in and out of sleep thereafter, and soon the muffled din of a crowing cock filled the quiet countryside as the sun gradually began to peek over the mountaintops. A loud yawn from the farmer jolted the pirate awake out of another miniature nap.

"Where are we…?" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Are we there yet…?"

"Patience, m'boy," the farmer replied, rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes. "We'll be there in due time."

"Nngh…"

"It shouldn't be too long now. We should be arriving in a couple'a hours."

The crimson-eyed pirate nodded and sprawled out across the back of the wagon and stared up at the sky. He decided to keep himself preoccupied by naming figures in the clouds, and it proved to be a good method of passing time. Before he knew it, the farmer said something to his horse and shifted in his seat. Curious as to what was happening, Gilbert sat up to look.

"Here we are, son," the old man grinned, glancing back at his guest. "Innsbruck."

**~Gilbert's Story: To Be Continued~**

_THERE. GODDAMN. Oh, and guys, please, please, PLEASE stop freaking out if it takes me forever to update, omg. It doesn't mean I dropped this fic or anything, it's just really difficult for me to update cuz I'm not as passionate anymore, okay? But this is the first story I've written that I really want to see through to the end, and goddamn it I'm gonna see that I go through with it, even if it takes me forever to update! So _PLEASE_, be patient. I understand if you guys don't want to wait around to read it anymore, that's fine, but just know that I'm gonna update still, mainly for those who still are interested _and_ for myself. So yeah. That's my rant._

_Aside from that, there will be two chapters to Gil's story since my original plan to put it all into one is taking way too long due to laziness. =A= So yeah, one more of this side story! I figured Gil needs more love, dammit. But yeah, that's what this is, and I hoped you enjoyed it! SO. Until next update (whenever the hell that may be)~_


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